#I just put one half on jupiter and the other half in college
Note
Hi, I’m obsessed with Jason Grace lately, so can you do #15 when he can’t stop looking at Reader any time he has the chance and Reader just asked him why and ended up in a confession. SORRY I DON’T SPEAK ENGLISH
Too beautiful to not stare…
Pairing: Jason x gn!reader
words count: 800
prompt 15: “…why are you staring at me?”
warnings: none
A day at New Rome spent with your best friend, Jason Grace, will eventually turn out as a confession by both of you.
a/n: Hi lovely! Don’t worry, I don’t speak English either 💀 And also, loved this request, I just had so much fun writing it! Hope it was what you were hoping for, as always, enjoy! (Also, I’m deeply sorry to answer this so late 😭😭 hope you can forgive me babe 🧡)
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It was a warm day. You had decided to accompany Jason to New Rome after he had told you he needed to visit camp Jupiter to show his projects about the temples. And, given the huge crush you had on the blonde boy, you used every opportunity you had to spend time with him.
You both didn’t know tho, that today the responsible people for projects like these weren’t at camp, and you had to renounce about Jason’s willingness to explain why they should build other temples, and how.
So instead you decided yo take a walk around the streets of New Rome, even stopping by to buy something to eat.
“I’m sorry about it Jason” You told him as the both of you took a seat under a beautiful gazebo, its upper part adorned by a carpet of colourful flowers.
“It’s okay, it’s not like it’s your fault” He simply answered you with a gentle smile.
“Yeah, I know, but still…”
You were really sorry for what had happened. You knew just how much Jason cared about his project and how much he wanted to onor every god around, even if it would have sounded like a crazy plan to anyone else.
Jason took a bite out of his sandwich “Really y/n, don’t worry. Besides even if I didn’t present my models at least you came with me.” He smiled again, this time a bit more genuinely.
You smiled back at him “Yeah, you’re right. At least we get to spend some time together”
You stayed in a comfortable silence for the next minute, really just enjoying your sandwiches and the view. New Rome was a spectacle.
“Do you like it here?” Then Jason suddenly asked. You turned your head to look at him, noticing that his eyes were already set on you. “Yeah, I think this place it’s amazing. As you know at camp half-blood demigods don’t really have a place to stay when they’re older, or even just- you literally have college!”
You kept on talking about why you thought New Rome was actually a clever idea, and why in your opinion camp half blood should have had something’s similar.
And he actually listened to you. That was the thing with Jason. You actually felt heard in a world where demigods couldn’t have it easy. “Sorry I just- I get too worked up” you joked with a chuckle.
“I see your point, don’t worry” he offered you a kind smile. You swore you could have melted on the spot.
You two both fell back into that comfortable silence, just enjoying the sunny day when you noticed that Jason kept staring at you. You looked at him with a small frown of confusion “…why are you staring at me?” You then started panicking “Wait, do I have something on my face? No, I know! Is an insect in my hair isn’t it? Yes it is” You ruffled your hair in attempt to get away the non-existent bug.
Jason started laughing before stopping you by gently holding your wrist and putting it back down. “Nothing like that. I just… You’re too pretty”
You stopped working in that moment. You could have sworn one of those y/n.exe stopped working appeared in your brain. “What?” Was the only reaction that you could get out of your mouth, your confused frown only deepening.
He moved a strand of your hair behind your ear. “I said you’re pretty.” He declared it as if it was no big deal. You blushed slightly, trying to hide it of course.
This didn’t go unnoticed by Jason who just chuckled back. “Getting shy, aren’t we?” He teased you, and you playfully hit his arm “Jason Grace, you can’t just tell someone something like that and after pretending that it’s the most obvious thing in the world!”
He just leaned closer to you “Y/n, do you like me?” He then asked you. This guy was a moron, but he was your moron. You ignored how fast your heart was beating at the moment and quickly cupped Jason’s face with your hands and crashed your lips against his.
He was the dumbfounded one now, he just stood there, not even kissing back. You pulled away a few seconds later “Does this answer your question?” You replied playfully. He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you closer. He answered you with a smile plastered on his face “It does” And then he kissed you again, and you smiled in the kiss. Yep, you definitely liked this guy.
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a/n: hope this met your expectations! 🧡 (Btw I’m gonna reopen requests soon)
#Jason Grace#Jason Grace x reader#X reader#hoo#pjo#toa#percy Jackson#The lost hero#pjo x reader#percy Jackson x reader#heros of Olympus#camp Jupiter#Annabeth Chase x reader#piper McLean x reader#Leo Valdez x reader#Frank Zhang x reader#Hazel Levisque
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redamancy - jjk (part iii)
⤖ genre: fluff, future smut, angst, gardener!jeongguk x rich!reader, okay but jeongguk isn't really a gardener like that but you'll see, kinda slow burn but not really
⤖ pairing: jeongguk x female reader
⤖ rating: 18+
⤖word count: approx. 14.1 k words
⤖ chapter warnings: explicit language, angst
summary: jeongguk is just a normal dude with a simple routine. wake up, go to the gym, work his job as a waiter at this posh upscale restaurant in the heart of gangnam before coming home to a night full of video games and ramen (it's delicious and cheap). that routine gets disrupted when he accidentally taps the back of an expensive sports car of one of the richest men in south korea. considering he's broke, he couldn't afford to pay for the damages so the man makes a deal with him by offering him to work at his house as one of the gardeners. jeongguk takes it but wasn't prepared to meet this beautiful young woman who's constantly lounging by the pool, you, the rich man's daughter.
author's note: hi hi hi pls don't kill me yall. i know it's been MONTHS since i last posted. there were many life changing events that occurred in my life and it really held me back from ever completing part 3. i had half of it written in august but it was left abandoned for a while because of my college semester. i also lost motivation to write for so long too. im gonna be honest, i hate this chapter. no matter what i wrote, i was not happy with it at all and im still not. but i didn't wanna keep you guys waiting. the only thing i ask from you is that if you can really give me feedback and thoughts on the chapter, it would be really helpful. seeing you guys enjoy it keeps me motivated to continue writing, the more motivated i am, the sooner i can post future parts. im on summer break so i would really like to finish this story if possible. pls don't be a silent reader. i hope you guys like this chapter. xx M.
taglist:@janedukiesworld@rjsmochii@mwitsmejk@jjeonjjk7@whoa-jo @linda-botello @dewamused @tearsdntfall617 @taehyungseggs @thoudailydeets @hobiiihope @miss-jupiter @petalsofink @imjustreadingig @guksunshine @iheartsvt @rainnyrh @axniyx @kookies-n-spice @carolsummerlove @rievjjks @dopedreamfireparty @
“You’re going to what?” Jeongguk asks, almost dropping the garden snippers on his foot.
Dohyun jumps a little at the older man’s loud voice, almost dropping the flower bouquet. He dusts off his white button-up, fixing the collar.
“I’m going to ask Y/N on a date,” He reiterates proudly. “I got her these chocolates from that fancy chocolate store,” He holds up the white box wrapped in a baby pink bow. “And some roses from my aunt’s flower shop.” His other hand props up the bouquet, plastic rustling when he shakes it.
No way. There’s no way he’s actually going to ask you. Not when you literally just said last night that you don’t have any form of feelings for Dohyun. But you also did mention that you wouldn’t have the heart to turn him down, not wanting to see him hurt.
God, why did you have to be so nice? Are you actually going to accept the date when Dohyun asks you?
He looks at Dohyun who seems to be in a daze, probably daydreaming about you and him together. He shivers at the thought of you kissing Dohyun on the corner of his mouth as you did with Jeongguk last night.
Gross.
There’s no way you’re going on that date with Dohyun. Not when you’ve made it clear that you’re interested in Jeongguk. If that kiss didn’t mean anything last night, he’d be quite upset.
“Uh…I don’t know if that’s…a good idea,” Jeongguk replies, voice honeyed. He’d be damned if he lets Dohyun ask you out first.
The excited smile begins to fade, forming a firm line. He looks at Jeongguk in confusion, “Why?” He asks.
Fuck, what can he say? There’s no excuse coming to mind.
“Listen, dude,” Jeongguk walks up to Dohyun, putting his arm around the younger man’s shoulder. “Girls like Y/N, they’re not interested in guys like us.”
Is he gonna go to hell for lying like this?
“Guys like…us?” Dohyun questions, looking up at Jeongguk with a clueless pout.
Jeongguk nods, pretending to look sullen, “Yeah, I mean look at us, we’re just a bunch of commoners,” Something you’ve made very apparent that you don’t care about. “Y/N’s family…they’re rich. She’s probably into guys who own sports cars and Rolex watches.” Lies. You’ve mentioned how you couldn’t stand materialistic guys.
“So what you’re saying is…” Dohyun stares at the grass thoughtfully, “That I need to have nice and expensive things.” Jeongguk nods in response.
Yeah, he’s definitely going to hell.
“B-But I made reservations at that expensive French restaurant,” He tells Jeongguk, looking a little sad.
Lame. Going to a fancy wine-and-dine restaurant for a date would not impress you, he thinks. You already seem to be sick of your high-class lifestyle. The last thing you would want is to be sitting in a place surrounded by other rich folks.
If it were up to Jeongguk, he would’ve taken you to his favorite street vendor for some tteokbokki and then to the arcade to play games. He thinks you’d enjoy that more.
“It’s okay man. That wouldn’t have been enough,” Jeongguk shakes his head, putting a hand on the other’s shoulder in a comforting manner, “She probably would’ve ordered the most expensive wine on the menu.”
Dohyun’s bottom lip quivers and a look of despair etched onto his face. “I would’ve paid for it.”
Jeongguk raises an eyebrow, “You could afford that?”
Dohyun shrugs, “I made a deal with the manager to pay in installments.” Geez, he really had it all planned out.
“I don’t think she’s worth it, dude,” Jeongguk’s voice is laced with fake sorrow. He hopes you never find out that he’s saying this shit because he does not mean a single damn thing he just told Dohyun.
“I mean I guess you’re right,” Dohyun looks down at the flower bouquet with a dejected look on his face. “She’s just always been so nice to me so I thought there might’ve been something there.”
You are a nice person. So nice that it shook Jeongguk to the core. There wasn’t a single bad body in your body it seems. You would never have any ill intentions towards anyone. He’s witnessed it firsthand. You’re damn considerate of others that you were afraid of facing the day Dohyun confessed to you because you didn’t have it in you to turn him down and witness his heartbreak.
If anything, Jeongguk is doing both you and Dohyun a favor.
“I hear you, buddy,” Jeongguk clasps his hand against Dohyun’s back, making the younger man wince a little. “Guys like us never get the girl.”
Except for Jeongguk. He thinks he might have a chance.
Too arrogant?
“I guess I’ll just cancel the reservation,” Dohyun states in melancholy, and Jeongguk immediately nods.
Yes, cancel the reservation. Please. Cancel so Jeongguk can ask you out on a date instead.
“Well I’m going to go put this stuff back,” Jeongguk tells him, putting the tools away in the bucket. He’s also hoping to catch you sitting outside again. He wonders what swimsuit you’re wearing today.
“I’ll go with you,” Dohyun mumbles, walking alongside Jeongguk.
God dammit, never mind, he prays you’re not sitting outside.
The two men are heading towards the back along the concrete pathway, stopping in front of the shed. Jeongguk looks over at the sunbed where you’re usually sitting but fortunately, you’re not there. His shoulders relax at that and he lets out a sigh of relief. He can’t help but look over at Dohyun, only to see him already staring at the sunbed as well with a gloomy look on his face.
“Come on, help me put these tools where they need to go,” Jeongguk suggests in an attempt to distract the younger man. He’s not going to lie, he does feel a little guilty for lying like this to him.
Jeongguk is never the type to really feel guilty which is why his Jin Hyung calls him a dickhead sometimes. But right now, he can feel it just a tad bit.
Dohyun glances over at the sunbed one last time before hesitantly following Jeongguk inside, placing the bouquet and box of chocolates onto the wooden table. He takes out the tools one by one, placing them onto the hooks. Jeongguk just watches the other, noticing how his frown isn’t going away, eyebrows furrowed.
Once the tools are placed in their respective places, the two of them head back outside. Dohyun leaves first and Jeongguk follows behind only to bump into the other male’s back when he pauses in his footsteps. He clicks his tongue, looking up at Dohyun only to find him staring longingly at something a few feet away.
Oh god, please don’t let it be.
He turns his head and there you are, walking outside of the house in your swimming attire. There’s a book in your hand as per usual and it sounds like you’re humming to a certain tune, earbuds on.
Jeongguk finds himself panicking, ready to steer Dohyun away from the back but it’s too late.
“You know what, I’m still gonna tell her,” Dohyun says determinedly. “I’m still gonna ask her out on that date.” He’s got to be joking. “I’m gonna ask her out on that date and then tell her I’ve been in love with her since we were kids.” Before Jeongguk could respond, Dohyun is already striding over to you, chocolate and flowers in hand.
This is not going to end well.
+
It’s a beautiful day out, you think. The sky is a bright blue, the sun is out and shining high, the garden is looking colorful and vibrant with the newly planted flowers and there’s a nice breeze blowing through the air. You have a smile on your face as you think about all the things that happened yesterday.
The way Jeongguk kept making you laugh obnoxiously and smile like a fool. He’s unintentionally funny because he’s so honest and blunt. He wouldn’t even try hard to make you laugh, he would just say something casually and actually be serious about it when you think he’s joking. You hope that you can see him again outside of your house soon.
You haven’t seen him yet and you’re hoping he hasn’t left yet. At least not without saying bye to you. Not that he has to but it be nice if he did.
You’re listening to music when you walk outside of the house into the backyard, book in hand, ready to begin your reading for the day. You plan to read just for a little bit, drinking a glass of red wine while you wait for Jeongguk to come to the back.
Luckily, your mother isn’t home, having gone to her company’s building after finding out about some setbacks with the clothing material for her latest fashion line. You have no idea what it was exactly but she was definitely stressed out about it.
Plopping down onto the lounger, you open your book to the page you bookmarked before picking up your wine glass to take a sip. Before you can bring the glass up to your lips, you hear your name being called by a ringing voice.
You flinch, almost spilling the wine on your thigh, and look up to see Dohyun striding towards you, a look of determination on his face. In his hands, he’s holding a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates.
Oh god. You were afraid of when this day would come.
You set down the glass on the circular glass table beside you, closing the book as well. Mustering up your best (fake) smile, you greet him, “Hey,” You clear your throat, “Um you look nice.”
The compliment immediately brings a bashful smile to his face as he looks down at the ground before looking at you once again. “Thank you,” He responds.
“Mhm,” You clear your throat, awkwardly looking away.
God, you were nervous. You already told Jeongguk you were never prepared for the moment when Dohyun was going to ask you out. You always hoped for him to eventually lose feelings and let you go. However, here he is, standing in front of you dressed in nice clothes while holding a flower bouquet.
You felt like you were going to be sick.
“So I uh,” Dohyun lets out a deep breath. “I was wondering if you would,” No please no. “Sorry,” He shakes his head at himself. “I had a whole speech prepared but now I can’t seem to remember anything,” He tells you and a fake laugh escapes your lips.
If he can just get nervous and maybe back out…
“Iwaswonderingifyoudliketogoonadatewithme,” He says it so fast that you almost miss it but you knew exactly what he just asked you.
Your throat feels tight, eyes just staring at him in surprise. What do you say? How can you tell him no? Not when he’s staring at you with those hopeful eyes, hands clutching the bouquet and chocolates.
How can you go on a date with someone else when you have a crush on Jeongguk? A major crush. Though you don’t know him very well, you know enough to like him. A lot. But maybe he doesn’t like you. He’s still a mystery to you. He’s made it clear that he finds you attractive but what if to him this is just some sort of little game to him?
After all, he is only working here temporarily. He could just be trying to get into your pants and then disappear right after he gets what he wants. You don’t know. He genuinely seemed interested in having a conversation with you last night but at the same time, it could just be an act.
“Um Y/N?” Dohyun’s call of your name causes you to snap out of your doubtful thoughts and look up at him.
“Yes?” You say in surprise.
“Wait, that's a yes?” An excited smile grows on his face.
Oh fuck. That’s not what you meant. The smile on his face…how can you say no now?
Letting out a regretful sigh, you gather a fake smile on your face. “Yes,” You can’t believe you’re doing this. “I’ll go on a date with you.” With those words leaving your lips, your eyes immediately snap to Jeongguk who you didn’t realize was standing a few feet away from you both.
The look on his face causes your heart to drop into your stomach.
Did he just witness you say yes to the date?
Your eyes don’t look away from him, a guilty expression on your face as you stare at his now blank face. It went from surprise to blank in a matter of seconds, a way of showing you that he looks unbothered by what just happened.
Maybe he is unbothered by it.
If he isn’t, then he’s doing a great job at not showing it.
You didn’t mean to say yes. In fact, you were ready to say no. But with the excited look on his face, you don’t have it in you to take it away. You just have to come clean later. You can’t get this far.
Not when you know you can’t reciprocate your feelings for the man.
“I’m so glad you said yes!” His smile is vibrant and it looks like he can’t contain his excitement, bouncing on his tiptoes.
With a tight-lipped smile, you accept the bouquet of red roses he hands you along with the chocolates. Your eyes glance behind him again towards where Jeongguk is standing. He gives you a thumbs-up and a pursed-lip smile before heading towards the gate.
You open your mouth to say something but Dohyun speaks before any words can escape you, your attention turning back towards him again.
“So I can pick you up on Friday? How does 7 sound?” He asks you, voice sounding thrilled.
The more you hear him speak, the worse you feel. There’s no backing out of this now. Jeongguk left without saying anything which causes you to question how he might’ve felt. Maybe he did like you back. Or maybe he just doesn’t care.
Again, you don’t know.
The overwhelming feeling of all kinds of emotions fills you and you just wish to disappear but instead, you just give Dohyun another fake smile and say, “Sounds good.”
“Great!” He grins. “I’ll see you Friday!” He says before turning on his feet and leaving. You watch him walk towards the gate, no longer containing his excitement when you hear him whisper yes yes yes.
“Jeongguk! Wait up!” You hear Dohyun shout, eagerness, and enthusiasm loud in his tone.
You wince, looking towards the gate in hopes of catching a glimpse of Jeongguk but you fail to see him at all. He didn’t bother to come to the back and say. But you can probably understand why. You let out a sad sigh, holding up the bouquet of flowers in your hand and staring at them.
Just one date. You just have to get through this one date.
+
Friday evening
The feeling of dread swirls in your stomach as you stare into the mirror with your hair and face ready for the date you’re about to go on. You’re not looking forward to it at all. Ever since you woke up this morning, you thought about coming up with some sort of excuse to back out of the date. Maybe lie and say you have the stomach flu or something.
Then again, if you lie, you would just be postponing the date because you have a feeling he would reschedule it for another day. So you thought to yourself that it would be better to get it over with.
Your plan is to go on the date, eat and then tell him that you don’t have any feelings for him. You know that if you lead him on further, it will end with a more painful heartbreak for him.
You’re also bummed because, for the remainder of the week, you did not see Jeongguk at all. Even when you sat down at the pool all day, constantly looking over at the door in hopes of catching sight of him, he didn’t come towards the back.
Instead of Jeongguk coming to the shed to drop off the tools, it would either be some other gardener or sometimes even Dohyun who, of course, would wave at you excitedly and remind you about the time of your date on Friday.
You think he might be disappointed in you and doesn’t want to see you. Or maybe he backed off because he probably thinks you’re giving Dohyun a chance when you’re not.
You just fucked up by saying yes.
After telling Dohyun that you don’t have feelings for him, you’re determined to tell Jeongguk you like him when you see him on Monday. And if he doesn’t like you back?
Well then you’re just going to hide in your room in embarrassment until he finishes working his last few days at your estate
You’re wearing a black long-sleeved dress that has a square-shaped neckline and slightly ruffled sleeves. It reaches below your knees, a slit on the left side, revealing the skin up to your midthigh. You left your hair open in soft curls and your makeup is done minimally.
You’re putting on your dangly earring when you hear your phone vibrate on the vanity. The screen lights up with a text from Dohyun telling you he’s out front waiting for you. You exhale deeply, attempting to calm yourself down, feeling slightly sick in the stomach.
Just two hours. You just have to endure this date for two hours.
Fixing the loose strand of hair in your face, you look into the mirror one last time before grabbing your clutch and walking out of the bedroom and down the spiral steps. You nod your head at one of the maids on your way out, giving her a polite smile.
When you walk outside of your house, you see Dohyun waiting in front of the gate with another bouquet of flowers. He cleaned himself nicely, wearing a white button-up under a black blazer with matching pants. His hair is pushed back and he’s not wearing those glasses again.
With an elated grin, he gives you a bow which you return before grabbing the flowers he holds out and muttering a small ‘thanks’ in response.
He nods, seeming proud of himself before he holds out his hand which you hesitantly take. He walks you to his car, a red Toyota Corolla, opening the door for you politely.
Your mind can’t help but wonder when you went out with Jeongguk that night at the bar and he told you that chivalry was dead so he wouldn’t open the door for you. You can’t help but smile at the memory, shaking your head.
Once you’re sitting down in the car, bouquet in your lap along with your clutch, he gently closes the door before jogging towards the driver's side to sit down. His face is beaming when he starts the car again, the sound of a girl group song immediately playing on the Bluetooth loudly, causing you to wince at the volume.
He looks panicked, cheeks and ears red as he quickly turns down the volume dial on the knob and mumbles a shy ‘sorry. You give him a reassuring smile before looking out of the window.
The car begins moving, an awkward silence immediately filling the air since neither of you say a single word. Dohyun is the first to break it, clearing his throat before speaking.
“So how was your day?” He asks, attempting to make conversation.
You shrug, watching outside as he drives out of your neighborhood towards the city. “It was okay. Didn’t really do much.”
Other than hoping and praying for the date to be canceled one way or another.
He nods, tapping his index fingers against the steering wheel as he says, “Cool cool. I didn’t do much either.” You nod, listening. “Well actually, I started this new Korean drama. It’s about this guy who…”
He rambles about the drama, beginning from the first episode and providing you with details on how it all started, and for almost the majority of the car ride, he’s giving you a rundown on how each episode goes down one by one along with his personal opinions. You just nod and add in a few words to make yourself sound interested when really, all you wanted to do was open the car door and roll down the street.
Unable to help yourself, your mind drifts to the time you were with Jeongguk and how you two talked about the most random things. He would tell you crazy stories about the things he’s done with his friends, always having something ridiculous to say which would make you laugh a crazy amount.
Again, Jeongguk is blunt and careless about what he says and who he says it to. He never held back from telling you things that might sound absurd to others.
For this one time when he and his six other friends had a competition on who can eat the most gamja hot dogs at a carnival before they all went on one of those spinning rides and ended up vomiting while the ride was still going. The whole ride had to immediately shut down and people who were waiting in line were not happy and covered in their puke.
To make the night even worse, his friend Jin almost fought a little kid over the last alpaca plushie at one of the games and it resulted in them being kicked out of the carnival.
The whole time he had told you that story, he had a smile on his face at the memories and you remember being enraptured by how beautiful he looked with his bunny teeth on display, the small mole beneath his rose-colored lips visible; the hand gestures he’d make to animate the story.
You don’t realize you’re smiling again until Dohyun calls for your name, causing you to flinch in surprise.
“Yeah?” You ask, smile dropping and you look at him questioningly.
“I was um asking what you thought about it?” He wonders, glancing at you before looking back at the road.
Fuck, what did he ask about?
“I’m sorry,” You shake your head. “Can you repeat the question?” You look at him apologetically, mentally cursing at yourself for being distracted by Jeongguk again.
Dohyun clears his throat, “I was asking what your thoughts were on the show so far.”
Oh right, the show. The one you didn’t listen to a single thing about. God, you don’t know what to say.
Think, Y/N, think.
“It sounds…” You’re looking for the right word. “Like there’s a lot going on.” You slightly wince at that, hoping he doesn’t notice.
Dohyun looks a bit confused, pursing his lips in thought before saying, “Really? I don’t know. I honestly think it’s quite boring. There’s no good drama going on with the characters.” He says and you nod.
“Honestly you’re right,” You quickly add. “I don’t know what I was thinking,” You let out a fake chuckle. “It needs to be more dramatic.”
You have no fucking clue what you’re saying.
Seeming to be satisfied with the answer, he nods with a smile before moving on to a different topic.
For the rest of the car ride, you try really hard to give him your full attention when he talks, chipping in on things when appropriate up until you guys reach the restaurant. You let out a slightly annoyed sigh under your breath when the restaurant comes into view.
Pierre Gagnaire à Séoul.
The French restaurant your mother absolutely loves meanwhile you hate. The food is not bad but it’s not to your taste. You’re also not a fan of the environment, surrounded by all the posh and stuck-up rich people.
The restaurant has valet parking as well so when you guys pull up to the front, Dohyun quickly opens the door and runs to your side so he can open your own door for you, holding his hand out for you to take.
You try not to think about how Jeongguk would probably tell you to open the door yourself because he wouldn’t do it for you.
He hands his keys over to the valet before you both head inside, his hand holding yours. You try not to squirm when he tries to intertwine your fingers, letting out a breath to try and relax.
He opens the door for you, allowing you to go in first and you give him a thank you before walking inside first, internally grateful that your hands are no longer clasped together.
The aromatic smell of the food immediately hits your nose. The sound of chatter fills your ears along with the utensils hitting against the plates. The sight you see with your eyes is one you are used to. Wealthy people dressed to the nines in their extravagant dresses and suits, sipping on expensive wine.
“Good evening,” The hostess at the front greets with a practiced smile. “Reservation?”
Dohyun nods excitedly, “Dohyun at 7:30.” He tells her and she nods, looking at the screen before grabbing two menus from beside her and nudging her head towards the tables.
“Follow me please,” She says, Dohyun letting you go first before he follows behind you. You walk past other people, avoiding making eye contact with anyone you know.
This restaurant is where all of the affluent people go, friends of your family that your parents are close to. You wouldn’t be surprised if you saw any of them here though you’d much rather not which is why you just stare at the hostess’ back as she guides you both towards your table.
Dohyun pulls the chair back for you as soon as you reach the table before he sits himself down. The hostess places the menus down on the table before saying, “Your waiter should be here shortly.” And with that, she leaves.
“I’ve never been here before so I’m excited,” Dohyun says, flipping through the menu with stars in his eyes.
You shrug, pretending to look through the menu though not really because you already know what you’re going to choose. “I’ve been a few times,” You inform him.
“Oh,” He looks at you. “Do you like it?” He looks nervous when he waits for your response.
You give him a pursed-lip smile and say, “Yeah,” You lie. “I like it.”
He grins, seeming satisfied with the answer before looking at the menu again. You look down at your own menu again in order to distract yourself, waiting for him to decide what he wants to eat.
“Good evening, my name is Jeongguk and I’ll be your waiter this evening.” As soon as you hear that husky yet gentle voice, your head snaps up to the person and the menu drops onto the table out of surprise.
And there he is, standing in front of you wearing black slacks that accentuate his strong thighs while he wears a white button-up that hugs his chest. The sleeves are pulled up a bit, his inked arms slightly peaking out. His dark hair is pushed back to reveal his eyebrow piercing and strong brows, a single loose strand slightly falling forward on his forehead.
His large doe brown eyes meet yours, shock evident on his face as he stares right back at you.
“Holy shoot Jeongguk!” Dohyun sounds just as surprised as you look before a large smile overtakes his face.
+
Jeongguk had no fucking idea that this was the fancy wine and dine restaurant Dohyun was going to take you to for the date.
The whole week Dohyun wouldn’t shut up about it and he didn’t bother asking the younger man which restaurant it was. He wasn’t interested in knowing because quite frankly, he tried not to care.
To say that he was disappointed when you said yes to Dohyun would be an understatement. He knew you were too nice and didn’t want to hurt the guy but he really thought you’d muster up the courage to turn him down.
Instead, he watched you say yes and take the flowers and chocolates from Dohyun with that pretty smile on your face.
Now Jeongguk usually isn’t the type to get jealous. But that’s usually because there’s no one he’s really been interested in. Sure, he’s had a few girlfriends here and there but the relationships don’t last long enough because the girl either ends up batshit crazy or he just couldn’t return the same feelings.
But seeing Dohyun all excited and happy about taking you out on a date would just piss him off. He wanted to be the one to take you out. He thinks his plan would’ve been more solid and fun. Taking you out to the arcade before eating at his favorite fried chicken spot with beer.
Jeongguk can’t deny that he holds these strong feelings of infatuation towards you. You interest him because you’re different. Sure, it might sound like those typical cliche things but he’s speaking the truth. You’re intelligent, funny, and so fucking kind to others. Let’s not also forget how immensely beautiful you are.
Yeah, he’s got a gigantic crush on you.
Too bad he’s standing in front of you as your waiter and not as the date sitting across from you. He can’t seem to take his eyes off of you right now. Taking in your wide eyes and slightly ajar mouth, he tries not to act just as surprised by keeping a blank stare.
“Oh wow, didn’t expect to see you guys here,” Jeongguk says, voice flat and void of any emotion.
Before you can say anything, Dohyun says, “Jeongguk, I didn't know you worked here!” Jeongguk tries not to wince at Dohyun’s loud enthusiastic voice.
“Yeah,” Jeongguk clears his throat, giving his full attention to Dohyun so he doesn’t stare at you. “Usually the evening shifts now since you know…I work at the other place.” He informs him.
Dohyun nods, “Cool cool.” He looks across at you. “Isn’t it funny how Jeongguk is our waiter, Y/N?”
Jeongguk looks at you who’s just looking at Dohyun before glancing at him, “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy.” Your voice is shy of speaking and he thinks it's because of him. He holds eye contact with you, taking in the small pout on your glossy lips. There’s a certain emotion in your eye, almost looking apologetic but Jeongguk tries to brush it off.
“Anyways, what would you guys like to start off with? Something to drink maybe?” Jeongguk asks, pulling out a pen and his notepad.
Don’t fucking look at Y/N, Jeongguk.
Dohyun looks at you first with a questioning gaze, “Y/N?”
You clear your throat as you shut the menu, “I’ll just have water.” Jeongguk nods before looking at Dohyun.
“I’ll also have water,” The younger man smiles at Y/N.
Why the fuck is this guy always smiling? Jeongguk wonders.
And why the fuck are they both just ordering water? If Jeongguk were you, he’d be ordering the overpriced wines for the hell of it. Maybe just maybe…he can make this date a bit more entertaining for himself.
Jeongguk stands straighter and then looks at Dohyun, “Are you sure you guys don’t want to try the red wine? It’s Pinot Noir. A classic.”
Dohyun’s eyes widen for a second before they glance at you and then back to Jeongguk. Jeongguk looks at Dohyun and secretly winks, almost as a way of communicating to the younger man that this is going to impress you.
Jeongguk knows it won’t but he’s bored and sad. Sue him.
Dohyun nods rapidly and says, “We’ll have some of that as well.”
Before Jeongguk can say anything, you cut in by saying, “Are you sure about that? It’s quite expensive, Dohyun.” You’re looking at him in concern, pointing a manicured nail at the price of the wine on the menu.
Dohyun just shakes his head and tries to wave it off, “Don’t worry, Y/N. I can afford it. Order whatever you want.”
You purse your lips, not saying anything else. Your eyes shift to Jeongguk slightly squinting at him almost in suspicion but he just shrugs, turning around to walk away.
Is Jeongguk going to look like an asshole for trying to sabotage this date? Probably. Does he care? Not really. He’s trying to save your ass before Dohyun confesses to you. He needs to make sure that doesn’t happen otherwise you’re going to end up lying and telling the man that you like him back when Jeongguk knows damn well you don’t.
Though Jeongguk only really hung out with you once, he knows enough to say that you will feel extremely guilty for hurting someone else’s feelings. You’ve proven that just by going on this date with Dohyun regardless of the fact that you don’t hold any feelings for the guy. You just didn’t want to turn him down because you knew he’d be heartbroken.
Jeongguk is not going to let you accept Dohyun’s confession. Not when Jeongguk likes you and you like him. At least he thinks you like him because if that kiss on the corner of his mouth didn’t mean anything he doesn’t know what the fuck that meant.
Surely you weren’t leading him on. Or maybe that’s how you say goodbye to your friends?
Wait, but then again you don’t have friends.
This shit is going to give Jeongguk a headache. By the end of this date, if it doesn’t turn into a complete disaster, Jeongguk is going to stop being a pussy and say something. He doesn’t exactly know what yet. But something.
Pouring the wine into the fancy glasses, he puts them on a tray and brings them back out to the table. The first thing he sees when he heads towards your table is your smiling face looking directly at Dohyun.
Hell no.
“Here’s your water,” Jeongguk places down each glass one by one. “And your wine,” He carefully puts down yours, making direct eye contact with you as he does. He notices you gulp and he tries to hold back a smile. When he’s setting Dohyun’s glass on the table, his finger accidentally knocks over the glass, causing it to tip over onto the table and a little bit on Dohyun’s slacks.
Okay, that one wasn’t planned, Jeongguk swears.
Dohyun gasps out of surprise, standing up with his pants slightly soaked in the wine. Meanwhile, you’re just staring with your hand covering your mouth, eyes wide. Jeongguk quickly acts shocked as well.
“I am so sorry,” He picks up the white cloth napkin and attempts to dab it on Dohyun’s pants at the front. “I’m really sorry. I don’t know how that fell over.” He pretends to wince, facial expression feigning guilt.
Some of the people at the surrounding tables are watching, talking amongst themselves as they stare at what just happened. It’s like they’re expecting Dohyun to lash out at Jeongguk or something but instead, he says, “Hey it’s okay. It was an accident.” He grabs the cloth from the Jeongguk, patting the pants himself.
This guy is so damn nice, Jeongguk hates it. Why is he so damn nice?
“You sure you don’t want to go clean up?” Jeongguk hears you ask, watching the whole scene in concern.
“No no,” Dohyun shakes his head and waves off. “It’s alright. At least I’m wearing black pants so it’s not that noticeable.” He laughs and you just nod in response.
“I’ll get you another glass,” Jeongguk speaks, turning around to get him another glass. Once he returns with a new one, he carefully places it on the table.
“Alright, so did you guys decide what you want to eat?” Jeongguk clasps his hands together, looking between the two, gaze lingering on you.
Look away, Jeongguk. Look. Away.
“Hm, I’m having a hard time deciding actually,” Dohyun pouts, brows furrowed as he studies the menu. “Do you have any recommendations?”
Boy, Jeongguk sure does.
Clearing his throat, he slightly cranes his neck to look over at the menu and points at one item in particular, “I recommend this filet mignon. Everyone loves it.” And it’s fucking expensive as fuck.
Jeongguk hears you add to the conversation, “It’s almost 150,000 won…” You’re staring at him in ridicule, mouth parted and eyes wide.
If there’s anything Jeongguk has learned about you, it’s that you’re not dumb. In fact, you are very fucking intelligent and he’s pretty sure you can see right through his actions. But for some reason, that doesn’t stop Jeongguk. Maybe he wants to have a bit of fun with this. In his defense, he’s trying to help you.
“Don’t worry about the price, Y/N. I can afford it,” Dohyun acts nonchalantly, looking up at Jeongguk and confidently saying, “I’ll have that.” He then looks at you. “Y/N?”
You let out a defeated sigh, closing the menu, “I’ll just have the risotto carnaroli de coquillages.” The way you say it so eloquently in French almost makes Jeongguk's dick hard. God, it sounded so hot.
How much more attractive and interesting can you get?
And also, where the fuck did you learn to speak perfect French?
It seems as though Jeongguk isn’t the only one affected by your French speaking because when he looks at Dohyun, the younger man is just staring at you with parted lips and stars in his eyes as if you’re the greatest thing he’s ever seen.
You’re so damn nice that you ended up choosing the cheapest entree on the menu. You were just way too damn considerate. There goes that rich girl persona he was trying to paint to Dohyun.
Trying not to physically drool, Jeongguk looks away and nods, “Got it.” He walks always so fast, almost bumping into another waiter on his way.
+
You have a feeling that Jeongguk is trying to fuck up the date you’re on with Dohyun. You can see right through him. Having the poor guy choose expensive menu items so he can impress you when Jeongguk knows damn well you’re not about it.
At least this can kind of confirm that he was affected by the whole date thing. That answers some questions but not all.
Also, can you just say that Jeongguk looks fine as fuck in his uniform?
If you had known that he works here as a waiter, you would’ve definitely joined your mother for the sake of seeing him. The sight of him wearing that tight-fitted button-up with those slacks hugging his ass almost had you drooling.
You tried so hard not to just dead-on stare at him the whole time while he was standing right in front of you. You just couldn’t help yourself at times, eyes trailing down from his perfectly structured face to his chest and down to his tattooed covered hands and forearms that were peaking out from beneath his shirt sleeve.
Your mind was steering away to some…unholy thoughts. Especially because of those damn thighs.
Why did he have to be so damn hot?
Okay, you’re getting a little too carried away right now. You need to focus. Focus on Dohyun. The man you came on a date with. You have to try and at least make some sort of conversation with him. He’s always asking you for your opinion and thoughts on what he’s saying but you end up stuttering your way through the conversation since you have no idea what he’s asking you about when you’re not listening.
Jeongguk being here as your damn waiter does not help the situation at all. Although you think he’s trying to help you in a somewhat cruel way you need to get him to stop. You’re beginning to feel guilty as fuck when you see the man do something that is the total opposite of impressing you.
“Um Y/N?” You’re snapped out of your thoughts when you hear Dohyun calling your name.
“Yes? Sorry,” You apologize, feeling bad for being distracted again.
Dohyun shakes his head, a small smile on his face, “No worries. I just wanted to talk to you about something.”
Your heart races at that and you gulp, beginning to feel a little worried at what exactly he wants to say. No no, you didn’t think it be this soon. You need to tell him before he tells you. You can’t let him tell you first.
Before you can say anything more, he continues, “I don’t know if you remember that before you left for college I was going to–”
“More wine anyone?” Jeongguk cuts in, holding up the bottle and acting oblivious to what he just interrupted. Your shoulders relax in relief and you nod rapidly.
You really need a fucking drink to get through this.
“Yes please,” You hold up your glass and he pours it in for you.
“There you go,” His fingers brush against yours which ensures the glass is in your hand’s grip when you pull it back and you try not to shiver at the tinging feeling and his eyes directly looking into yours.
“Dohyun?” Jeongguk looks at him with a questioning gaze, holding out the bottle but the other just shakes his head in response.
“I’m good thanks,” He looks eager for Jeongguk to leave right now, knee bouncing in anxiousness.
“Okay well your food should be here shortly,” Jeongguk says before turning to leave. He looks a bit hesitant to leave, glancing over his shoulder to look at you and you just send him a fake small smile, looking down into your lap.
What the fuck do you do?
“As I was saying Y/N, before you left for college I was going to tell you something,” Dohyun’s voice sounds a little shaky when he speaks. “But you had to leave and I never got the chance but for so long I–”
“Bathroom!” You blurt out, eyes going wide.
Dohyun looks confused, “Huh?”
You let out a nervous laugh, “Um I just really need to use the bathroom,” You stand up, grabbing your purse. “Can you give me a few minutes? I really gotta pee.” No, you don’t. You need to go freak the fuck out and possibly climb out of the window.
“Oh okay,” He nods understandably before flashing you a sweet smile. “I’ll wait.”
You give him a fake smile in response, pushing into your chair before walking towards the bathroom. You maneuver your way around a few waiters, avoiding eye contact and rushing inside. Luckily no one else is in the bathroom so you just stand in front of the sink, taking a few deep breaths as you stare into the mirror.
You don’t know how to turn him down. He’s getting so close to telling you about his feelings. You didn’t have the heart to turn him down for the date. What if you can’t reject his feelings for you either?
If that ends up happening, you’d be absolutely fucked.
You don’t even fucking see a window in here otherwise you’d escape right there.
“You okay?” You hear a familiar voice ask, causing you to flinch in surprise, hand resting on your chest.
“Holy shit,” You exhale. “You scared me.” You look at Jeongguk, wondering how the hell you didn’t hear him enter the bathroom.
The women’s bathroom might you add.
“Yeah yeah,” You try to wave off. “I’m fine. What are you doing in here?” You quickly ask, looking away and pretending to look into the mirror and fix your hair.
“I saw you come in and you didn’t look too good,” He shrugs, hands in his pocket as he leans against the wall. “Just thought I’d check up on you.”
Your heart swells a little at his concern. You’re in awe at the fact that he cared enough to come to see how you’re doing because he thought something was wrong. God, he’s making you like him more and more.
“I’m,” You clear your throat, “I’m good.” You’re not. “I think.” You add before letting out a shaky breath. “It’s not every day that someone is about to confess about being in love with you for years.” You let out a humorless chuckle.
“Well you’re right about that,” Jeongguk says and you look at him with a raised eyebrow. He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “Sorry, not helping.”
“Not at all,” You respond, turning around so you can lean your back against the counter of the sink. “Aren’t you going to be in trouble for being here?”
Jeongguk shrugs, “Not my first time being in the women’s bathroom during a shift,” He smirks and your chest slightly tinges in jealousy at what he’s implying but then he adds, “I once had to help an old lady clean a stain off of her dress.” You relax at that, causing Jeongguk to smirk.
“What did you think I meant?” He teases and you roll your eyes in response.
“Was it a wine stain cus’ you sure seem to be quite clumsy for a waiter,” You ask with heavy sarcasm, watching how he pushes himself off the wall.
“Hey! That was actually an accident,” Jeongguk tries to defend.
“I’m sure it was,” You remark, arms crossed over your chest. You try not to notice how he’s slowly walking toward you.
“It was,” He answers before saying, “Look I’m trying to help you out over here.”
You pout, avoiding eye contact with him by staring down at the pristine tiled floor. “I don’t need help.”
You’re lying. You really fucking need help.
Jeongguk lets out a sigh, “Y/N, why’d you say yes to the date if you knew you didn’t like him?” He asks, pierced brow raised in question.
Unable to meet his eyes, you fiddle with the rings on your fingers and say, “I just felt really bad because he just seemed so excited,” You look up at him, “I just didn’t know how to say no.”
Jeongguk nods and you notice how he’s standing directly in front of you now. You swallow at the sight of how good he looks in his button-up that shows off his small waist and strong chest. The sleeves are snug around his biceps and the black dress pants accentuate his strong thighs.
“Yeah but now look,” His hand gestures towards the door to refer to Dohyun. “You said yes to the guy, making him think he has a chance or that you might like him or something.” The guilt weighs down on your chest and you stare down at the floor in shame.
Jeongguk is right. You made the mistake of saying yes and it probably made Dohyun hopeful that the feelings he has for you are mutual in return. But that’s not true when the man standing a few inches in front of you is the only one you want.
Seeing the uniform hug his body in a way that shows off his toned muscles almost has you drooling and you try not to shiver at how his dark eyes give you a once-over. You know you look good with the way your black dress is hugging your body, the slit reaching your midthigh, showing off your smooth skin. His eyes seem to linger on that area in particular and you try not to smile.
“I just couldn’t say no,” You whine, pouting at the floor with your arms crossing over your chest.
Jeongguk dips his head a bit, bringing it closer to yours with just a few inches of space in between, and asks, “And why couldn’t you say no?”
Your eyes can’t help but wander to his rose petal-colored lips that look so soft at the moment. You’re curious to know how the piercing would feel if you were to just kiss him on the mouth. There’s also that cute little mole he has beneath his bottom lip. Swallowing, you look up to find his doe-brown eyes staring at your own lips as well.
Clearing your throat, you answer, “Because he brought me flowers a-and…” You shyly look away from his intense gaze, cheeks flushing as you look behind him. “And he got those expensive chocolates. I just didn’t know how to say no.”
“What about me?” Jeongguk inquires, causing you to snap your head to look at him in surprise.
“What about you?” You raise an eyebrow in question.
Your heart starts to race when you notice his right hand come up to your face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. His fingers lightly brush against your exposed neck, causing you to slightly shiver at his touch.
If he can just wrap those hands around your throat you don’t think you’d mind at all.
“What if I brought you flowers and overpriced chocolates and asked you out to dinner?” He asks, eyes watching how you grab his right hand, fingers tracing over the tattoos on his knuckles.
“I would’ve said yes even if you didn’t bring me flowers or overpriced chocolates,” You tell him truthfully, enjoying the satisfied look on his face.
“Well,” He looks down at your joined hands before intertwining his fingers with yours. “Good to know I don’t have any competition.” You snort at that, suddenly feeling brave and pull him closer to you.
You know you shouldn’t be doing this right now. Not when you’re literally on a date with someone who’s been crushing on you since you were kids but you’re in the bathroom with your waiter slash gardener slash friend? Acquaintance? Whatever he is, what you know for sure is that you want to kiss him right in the mouth because he looks too good not to.
So you do.
Forgetting about everything else going on, you make the move you’ve been desperately wanting to make since you saw the man standing in front of you.
You grab the collar of his shirt and tug him down so you can press your lips against his in a lustful kiss. A small noise of surprise leaves his lips but he quickly reacts by putting his hands on your waist and returning the affection.
The feeling of his lips against yours was nothing like you’d ever felt before. They felt almost silk-like and pillowy as they moved against yours in the heated kiss. Sparks ignite, in your chest, buzzing throughout your entire body as his large hands slid up and down your back before moving down toward your hip. He squeezes it softly, causing you to inhale sharply.
His lips move against yours in a soft but sensual manner that has your knees slightly quivering and your heart pounding. You feel breathless when you pull apart for a few seconds with his forehead resting against yours. His right-hand cups your face, thumb playing with your bottom lip.
Jeongguk smirks, “You look good with your lipstick smeared.” You roll your eyes playfully but you can feel the heat in your cheeks at his comment.
“Shut up,” You pull him until your lower back hits the counter behind you, his hands caging your body against it which causes a rush of excitement to run up your spine. You can’t help but give him a once over, noticing how pink his lips look now, hair slightly unruly from your hands. Jeongguk watches as you bring your hands to his chest, fiddling with the collar before letting them trail down his chest to feel his pecs.
The muscles feel hard and firm beneath your hand as you trail them down toward his abdomen. When your hands dip a little too low, he quickly snatches your hand and holds it up against his chest, tugging you close by the waist with the other arm.
“Nuh-uh,” Jeongguk clicks his tongue, “As much as I’m into the idea of fucking you in a public area, you are not about to start this in the fucking bathroom at my job.” Your cheeks flush immediately and you try to shove him away but he hardly moves.
God, you just wanted to devour him right here. You couldn’t handle the sight in front of you right now. You know this is just his work uniform but you never would’ve thought that he can look this good. You just wanted to get on your knees and…
“Y/N.” You immediately snap out of your horny thoughts, eyes wide and face warm. Jeongguk has a stupid smirk on his face as if he knows what you’re thinking about right now.
Despite wanting to tackle him to the ground and have him take you right here, you remember you have a whole date waiting for you outside at the table most likely wondering where you are.
“What?” You clear your throat, pushing those lustful thoughts aside.
Jeongguk holds a teasing smile on his face, “Are you dreaming about my dick?”
“What-no!” You deny, pushing him off and turning towards the mirror to fix your hair. You notice how your lipstick is smeared, courtesy of Jeongguk. You take a tissue and clean it before opening your clutch to pull out the liquid lipstick so you can reapply it.
You can feel Jeongguk’s eyes on you the whole time as you’re bent over the counter, looking closely in the mirror. You try not to make eye contact, gliding the applicator across your bottom lip.
Your breath hitches in your throat when you feel his hand slide on your hip but you pretend to like it doesn’t affect you even though your heart rate starts to increase and a feeling of thrill runs up your spine.
“You were totally dreaming about my dick,” You glare at him through the mirror, elbowing him in the abdomen which causes him to slightly groan.
“Why would I be thinking about your dick when I’m on a date with someone else right now?” You ask.
Jeongguk snickers, “You weren’t saying that when you had your tongue down my throat a few minutes ago.”
Your jaw drops and you turn around, pushing at his shoulder, “I did not have my tongue down your throat.”
He has that smug smile on his annoyingly handsome face that had you contemplating whether you wanted to smack him or kiss him again.
“It’s okay, you’re too shy to admit it right now. You’ll get comfortable eventually,” He shrugs, avoiding the little punch you were about to deliver to his chest. He grabs your hand instead and pulls you towards him once again with his tattooed arm around your waist while the other cups your cheek.
“You’re annoying,” You mumble, playing with the top button on his shirt. You notice ink peeking out from where the shirt is unbuttoned which you somehow haven’t noticed before.
Can this man get any more attractive?
“I’d say charming,” Jeongguk responds before asking, “We’ve been here for quite some time now.”
“You’re the one who followed me,” You retorted.
“I had to make sure you were okay,” Jeongguk defends, thumb stroking your cheek. “What are you going to do now?”
You let out a dreaded sigh, letting your hands rest against his chest as you say, “I’m going to have to tell him I’m not interested.” You shake your head. “I shouldn’t have said yes in the first place. It was a mistake from that day but he just had this hopeful smile on his face. I didn’t have it in me to deny him.”
Jeongguk looks at you with a nonjudgmental gaze, nodding his head. “You can’t let this drag out any longer.”
“I know,” You agree, thinking about how crushed Dohyun is going to look once you tell him the truth.
“He’s going to be heartbroken,” Jeongguk adds.
You pout, “I know.”
“But I’m going to be one happy man.”
“I know–wait what?” You almost missed what he said and he just chuckles in response. “Why would you be happy?”
“Cuz then I can ask you out on a date,” Jeongguk says with full confidence, wrapping both arms around your waist and swaying you side to side.
“And you’re so sure I’d say yes?” You ask, eyebrows raised in question.
He narrows his eyes at you playfully and says, “With the way you were about to get on your knees I’d like to think–”
You slap his chest, “God, you’re so annoying! See if I ever give you head now.”
“I’m kidding,” Jeongguk pouts. “You can’t take away that privilege already. You haven’t even done it yet.”
Rolling your eyes at his response, your hand plays with the piercing in his right eyebrow. His hands rest on your lower back casually as if you guys have done this a million times. Jeongguk is definitely a touchy person but not in a way that’s made you uncomfortable of course. You’ve enjoyed the feeling of his hands on your body and you wonder what it would feel like on your bare skin.
You’d definitely like to find that out.
To say that you’re surprised he’s even talking to you would be an understatement. Especially after the day he saw you accepting Dohyun’s little gifts and proposal to dinner. He had left so abruptly much to your disappointment. And even after that, you didn’t even catch wind of him when working around the garden.
You really thought you lost your opportunity with him but his actions and words say otherwise.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Jeongguk’s statement breaks you out of your thoughts.
“What question?”
He raises an eyebrow, “If you’d like to go on a date with me.” He runs his thumb over your bottom lip, staring at them as if he wants to just devour them again but he’s restraining himself.
You didn’t even realize he asked you that question.
With a snort, you say, “Are you seriously going to ask me this in the bathroom while my actual date is waiting for me outside?”
Jeongguk rolls his eyes at you, “I’m sorry would you like me to shower you with flowers and expensive as fuck chocolates? I can also ask Bill, who is playing the violin in the dining room right now, to play you a song while I ask you out.”
This time you roll your eyes at his response, “No need for flowers and expensive as fuck chocolates,” you emphasize his words. “And his name is Bill? He doesn’t even look like a Bill.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling my coworkers. He looks more like a Marvin to me.” Jeongguk says and you nod your head in agreement after a quick thought.
“Tell you what, give me your number first and then I’ll give you a response,” You don’t know where this confidence suddenly came from
“You know you could’ve just asked me for my number if you wanted it so bad,” He laughs and you ignore him, handing him your phone.
“Hush, I need to leave now so hurry up,” You watch as he types in his number, an amused smile pulling at his lips which causes you to narrow your eyes at him.
He hands you back your phone, an innocent smile on his face while you’re looking at him suspiciously. When you glance down at your phone, you understand why he has that look on his face.
The contact name for his number is My super hot gardener <3 <3
Can he get any more annoying?
“Are you kidding me?” You ask him but don’t change the name anyways.
“Not at all, love.” He pulls you forward once more, cupping your face with both hands this time, causing you to look up at him. “Listen, don’t worry about how Dohyun is going to feel, and don’t beat yourself up about it either.” You nod sadly. “You can’t keep leading him on like this. Neither of you deserve that. So just be honest about your feelings towards him.” Jeongguk tilts your head up to look at him. “You have to put yourself first okay?”
You nod understandingly, hands going behind his neck to pull him down for another sweet kiss because you just couldn’t fucking help yourself. The feeling of his lips on yours was just so damn addicting. The way he was gazing at you with those soft doe eyes and the comforting words he provided had your stomach fluttering with butterflies.
Your lips move in sync, arms tightening around one another as if you didn’t want to let each other go. His tongue prods at your lips, asking for entrance which you grant. His tongue slides into your mouth, hands digging into your hips as he fights for dominance with your own tongue. The kiss becomes more and more heated, your hands tangling in his wavy hair once again while you’re pretty sure your lipstick is smeared over both your lips as well as his own.
The sound of your phone vibrating has you pulling back from his lips with a loud POP. Your chest is heaving, slightly out of breath from the intense kiss. Jeongguk runs his thumb across his lip to clean the faint lipstick while you’re opening your purse to see a message from Dohyun.
Dohyun: Hey Y/N, are you okay?”
Great, he must think you’re fighting for your life in the bathroom or something. It’s probably been well over 20 minutes so you can’t blame him.
“I really have to go now.” You tell Jeongguk and he nods understandingly.
“It’s fine,” He grabs a tissue and brings it up to clean beneath your lower lip. “Your lipstick smeared again.” You smile at the gesture in a thankful manner, letting him clean it for you.
He’s going to kill you.
“Remember what I said okay?” He tells you and you nod in response, your throat feeling tight already at the conversation you’ve been dreading the whole night. “And I’ll be nearby in case you need help.” You nod once again, feeling reassured by his words.
“Okay, thanks.” You give him a sweet smile, leaning up on your tiptoes to kiss his cheek which catches him off guard.
“Yeah…” He clears his throat, “No problem.”
With a small smile, you turn around and walk out the bathroom door not without looking over your shoulder at Jeongguk one last time.
Here goes nothing.
+
“Hey, sorry I took so long,” You apologize to Dohyun, straightening out your dress before sitting back down on the chair.
Dohyun just gives you a sweet, understanding smile in return and says, “It’s okay. Jeongguk hasn’t even come by with the food yet.”
You cough, taking a sip of your water to hide the flush of your cheeks. If only he knew Jeongguk was too busy with his tongue down your throat in the bathroom. The thought of what just went down in the bathroom had your stomach swirling in excitement. You hope the small smile on your face was not too obvious.
“Is everything okay?” Dohyun’s voice is filled with concern.
You’re snapped out of your thoughts at the sound of his question, looking up at him with wide eyes. You need to focus on the fact that you’re on a date with Dohyun right now and that you only have to endure this for a little bit longer before the food comes.
Then you actually have to let Dohyun down politely. Honestly, you don’t even know why you don’t just get it over with right now.
Jeongguk’s words echo in your head, telling you that it’s okay to think about yourself and turn Dohyun down. There’s no reason for you to be stretching this time out even longer. It’ll save him the heartbreak. It’s not like he was wrong. The further you lead Dohyun on, the more hurt he’ll be in the end when he finds out you do not reciprocate mutual feelings.
You also can’t forget the soft look in Jeongguk’s eyes. It was a look that you’d never seen on his face before and one that you didn’t think he was capable of showing considering his intimidating aura. But if there’s one thing you learned, it’s that Jeongguk is far from intimidating underneath all those piercings, ink, and black clothes.
God, you just wanted this date to be over so you can tell Jeongguk to fuck off his shift for the night and go somewhere so the two of you can spend some time together.
“Uh yeah, I’m okay,” You take a sip of your wine this time. “I’m fine. It’s just a little hot in here.” You’re praying he buys that excuse for your flushed face. You exaggerate it by fanning yourself with the menu listed with the different alcoholic beverages.
“Oh no,” Dohyun looks worried. “Do you want to go somewhere else?” He asks seriously.
“No no,” You wave off. “I’ll be okay. Thank you though.” You reassure him with a small smile. You are not about to drag this night out any longer.
Dohyun nods though he looks a bit unconvinced. You fiddle with your fingers, unsure of what else to say. The silence between the two of you is awkward. You’re staring down into your lap while Dohyun opens and closes his mouth as if he wants to say something but holds himself back.
“So Y/N,” You look up at Dohyun. “You probably already have an idea why I asked you out to dinner.” You try not to make it obvious when your eyes become a little wider, your heart dropping in your chest. “I mean..” He chuckles a bit, scratching the back of his neck. “We’ve known each other for so long. I remember watching you as a kid, thinking you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.” You try to smile but you think it looks more like a grimace.
“I remember when one of the kids your mom would set you up with for playdates was being so mean to me but you just…came to the rescue and told them to leave me alone.” The memory was quite vivid to you only because ever since that day, you noticed how Dohyun would start bringing you small gifts like a flower from the garden or pieces of candy. “That’s when I knew I started to develop feelings for you.”
And there it is. The expression on his face is filled with admiration and love as he stares at you intently, pouring his heart out to you and confessing his feelings. Something you’ve always feared because you knew that by the end of this, he was going to leave with a broken heart. You let yourself get way too far and led him to this point. Now it’s your job to end it.
“I just really want to tell you that I’ve always loved–”
Dohyun gets interrupted when Jeongguk arrives with a tray carrying your entrees. “Alright you guys, the food is here.” Dohyun’s face drops, falling silent at the interruption while you’re filled with relief, exhaling out a breath. You look up at Jeongguk only to catch him already looking at you, giving you a small wink that Dohyun isn’t able to see.
“Filet mignon for you,” Jeongguk sets down the plate in front of Dohyun who thanks him in response with a polite smile. “And risotto for the pretty lady,” Jeongguk emphasizes pretty and you bite your lip to hide the smile that threatens to form on your face.
“Thank you, Jeongguk,” Your foot brushes against his ankle purposely when you uncross your legs and he just looks at you with a certain glint in his eyes, a pierced eyebrow raised at the gesture.
“No problem,” He clears his throat, breaking eye contact so it doesn’t look so obvious to Dohyun. “Is there anything else you guys need?”
Dohyun looks at you in question and you shake your head as a no in response. He then looks back up at Jeongguk and gives him a grateful smile, “No, we’re good. Thanks, man.”
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll be back to check on you guys,” He informed you and it sounded like he was mostly talking to you from the way he looks at you, eyes lingering before leaves. He needs to stop making it so damn obvious.
“So…” Dohyun is about to start talking but you interrupt him.
“Let’s eat, I’m starving,” You immediately pick up the fork and dig into the feed even though you had no appetite to consume food. If anything, you felt nauseous. You’re dreading the conversation that you’re about to have.
“Wow,” Dohyun’s eyes are wide as he chews his food. “This steak is amazing.” He gushes, cutting into the meat with his knife and fork before holding it in your direction. “You need to try this.”
You shake your head, “Oh no, I’m okay. Thank you though.” You politely decline and give him a grateful smile.
“No seriously,” He responds. “You have to try this.” He seems persistent, wiggling his fork towards you with a bite of the tender-looking steak. You gulp, noticing how he’s leaning forward in anticipation with an eager look in his eyes. You’re about to lean forward, lips parted to take a bite but Jeongguk being the savior he is–God, you can just kiss him–comes back.
“You guys look like you’re running low on wine so I brought some more,” Jeongguk chirps, moving Dohyun’s arm back so he can pour into the glass. You bite down on your lower lip to keep yourself from smiling widely, meeting Jeongguk’s eyes with a thankful expression. You opt to stare at his beautiful inked hands pouring into the wine glass as you try not to make it obvious when your hand secretly strokes his thigh. You hold back a laugh when you notice him slightly flinch out of surprise, jaw clenching, and eyes narrowed when he glances at you.
You feign a look of innocence and say, “Thank you for the wine.” You’re grateful that the table is high enough that Dohyun can’t see how Jeongguk takes his left hand while the right is still holding the bottle and squeezes your hand.
Jeongguk clears his throat,
“Thanks, Jeongguk,” Dohyun gives him an appreciative smile, “I was just trying to get Y/N to try the filet mignon.”
“Oh yes,” Jeongguk says, attempting to sound professional and you bite back a laugh, “Many customers rave over the filet mignon. The cows were fed organic grass which is one of the reasons why it’s so delectable.”
Organic grass? What the fuck is he even saying?
You know damn well he’s trying to be funny but the way he said it with a straight face would make one think he’s serious. For example, Dohyun looked utterly fascinated by the thought.
“Wow, are they really?”
Jeongguk snorts but quickly covers it with a cough, “Yeah man. Don’t you know? Those cows are living their best life. Better than you and I,” Jeongguk takes the fork out of Dohyun’s hand and the other boy just stares at him, eyes wide in curiosity. He grabs the piece of steak that was originally meant for you and slides the bite into his mouth before giving Dohyun the fork back. Jeongguk scrunches up his face in delight, almost looking angry as he chews before he lets out a sigh and looks back at Dohyun. “Dare I say the cows are living a better life than Y/N too.”
You cover your face, unable to hold back your giggles while Dohyun just looks confused now. Jeongguk has a small smile on his face as he glances at you, feeling accomplished for making you laugh so cutely.
“I have to ask my uncle about this if it’s true,” Dohyun shakes his head, expression full of surprise as he looks deep in thought. “He owns a farm so maybe he can start doing that too.”
Jeongguk looks like he’s trying not to burst out laughing this time but instead nods, “Yeah let me know what he says, man.”
“Jeongguk, Suho is calling you to the back,” A waiter whispers into his ear, “Like now.”
“Now?” Jeongguk asks and the other waiter nods. He looks back at you and sees you swallow nervously. This means Jeongguk can no longer save you from delaying this any further. It’s either now or never.
You look back at Jeongguk and give him a reassuring nod in a subtle manner to tell him it’s okay if he leaves. He glances over at Dohyun, noticing how the other boy is tapping his foot impatiently beneath the table as if waiting for Jeongguk to leave so he can pick up where he left off.
“Alright,” Jeongguk clears his throat, “Looks like I’m needed in the back. Are you guys good?” He asks, mostly directing the question at you based on the direct eye contact he makes, eyebrow raised.
You give him an appreciative smile, “I’m good. Thank you, Jeongguk.”
“Me too. Thanks, Jeongguk!” Dohyun says a slight eagerness following his tone.
“Okay cool, be right back.” He tells you, sending you a small comforting smile. You let out a deep breath, looking over at Dohyun who’s already staring at you with a nervous expression on his face.
“Y/N, there’s something I need to tell you. I’ve been meaning to tell you for so long but…” Dohyun twiddles with his fingers resting on top of the table. “I would just get so nervous and chicken out,” He chuckles at himself with a shake of his head. “I’ve always admired you and your kindness. Your kindness is what drew me to you more than anything. Comforting people when they’re upset and going out of your way to make them feel better.” Your lips turn up into a small smile at his words but your chest aches out of guilt with what you’re about to do. “Basically, what I’m trying to tell you is that…I uh really really like you. I’ve liked you since we were kids. Maybe even love.” Dohyun lets out a quivering laugh, avoiding eye contact. “I was wondering if you’d give me a chance.”
Your throat feels like it’s closing up as you hear his words, processing them clearly. The feeling of your heart pounding against your chest and beating in your ears, your face feeling warm and flushed. You look down at your hands in your lap, playing with the ring on your index finger as you let out a shaky breath through your lips.
“Dohyun…you’ve always been a sweet guy,” You begin, “So selfless and always thinking of others.” You add and he nods, a smile playing on his lips from your compliment. “But I…I’m sorry,” You feel your eyes stinging as you notice the smile vanish from his face, lips pursing in despair. “I don’t see you that way.” You finally say.
His face crumples a bit, shoulders and head dropping as soon as the words leave your lips. He looks down into his lap and you swear you can hear him sniffling a bit. The silence between you two is almost deafening, the sound of other customers and cutlery being the only thing you hear.
“I’m really sorry,” You say again, eyes welling up a bit because of how bad you feel. “I probably shouldn’t have even said yes to you because it seems like I’ve led you on but I just didn’t know how to tell you no.”
Dohyun just nods in response, not moving a single inch from his position and his lack of words is killing you. You notice Jeongguk peeking at you from behind the door, locking eyes with you. He immediately notices the sorrowful look on your face, stepping forward to approach you but you quickly shake your head.
Not yet, you try to tell him. You think this conversation needs to end with closure. You don’t want to leave without making sure he’s okay. You know he’s not okay and he probably won’t be for some time. He’s had feelings for you for so long, he must feel so crushed by your rejection.
When Dohyun finally lifts his head up to look at you, you feel your chest ache at his red-rimmed eyes and quivering lips. “Y-You won’t even give me a chance? Like… not even if I take you on more dates a-and maybe let you get to know me better?” He wipes his nose with the back of his hand, sniffling.
You shake your head, a sad smile on your lips. “I’m sorry…I just,” You look over at Jeongguk who’s talking to another customer while constantly glancing at you in concern. “I like someone else.” You tell him, feeling like absolute shit. You just didn’t know what else you could’ve told him for him to completely let you go. You had to tell him the truth.
His face shows pure anguish, looking completely defeated. “So I-I don’t stand a chance against him?” He asks, voice hoarse.
“I’m sorry,” is the only thing you think you can say in response to that.
He just nods, head hanging low and lets out a quiet. “Okay.”
“Everything good?” Jeongguk decides to cut in, saving you from this painful moment.
Dohyun just looks up and Jeongguk in response and nods solemnly, “Yeah can we get the check please?”
“Uh yeah sure,” Jeongguk responds. “Boxes?”
“No thanks,” Dohyun immediately says, his voice cracking. “Y/N,” He looks at you properly for the first time. “Do you think I can get a r-ride home? I-I just don’t think I can…” He looks like he’s about to have a breakdown so you immediately cut in.
“It’s okay. Don’t even worry about it.” Your voice is soft, feeling like you need to speak to him in a delicate manner because he may break any second. “I’ll call my driver.”
“Okay,” Dohyun nods. “I’m gonna go. I’ll see you on Monday.” He says quickly before getting up swiftly. There’s a fresh set of tears in his eyes and he nods at Jeongguk. Head hanging low with his feet dragging across the floor, he walks towards the door without looking back.
You stare at the door, never feeling this much guilt and regret in your life. Guilt for turning him down but also regret even accepting this date. You think saying yes to the date probably gave him high hopes that you had feelings for him in return. You should’ve come clean at the pool when he asked you out in the first place.
“Oh god,” You cover your face with both hands. “I feel so awful. I feel so fucking awful. I can’t believe he cried.” Your throat feels tight and painful, unable to get the image of your head.
“Hey hey,” Jeongguk looks around before kneeling beside you, hand on your arm, “It’s okay. You had to do it okay?” You nod but don’t move your hands away from your face.
“I know I just can’t forget the look on his face,” You whisper into your hands. “I just feel so bad.”
“I know Y/N. That wasn’t an easy thing to do,” Jeongguk acknowledges, rubbing his hand up and down your back in a comforting manner.
Not only do you feel like a total asshole right now, you’re a little embarrassed at the fact that Jeongguk is seeing you on the verge of bursting into tears but you cannot help yourself.
“Hey listen,” His voice is gentle and you feel him move closer to you, his chest pressing against your knee. “A lot of these people are looking at us and I don’t know if they know who you are but I don’t want it spreading around that you were crying in this boujee ass restaurant in the headlines tomorrow.” You chuckle a little taking the napkin he’s holding out for you, patting it beneath your eyes.
“Thank you,” You say quietly, unable to look him in the eyes.
“Of course,” He clears his throat. “I’m about to finish my shift soon. Um if you want, I can give you a ride home?” He offers before quickly adding. “Only if you want to. I won’t be offended if you just want your driver to pick you up.”
You finally look at him for the first time, taking slightly widened doe eyes, face looking soft. He’s tugging at the piercing on his lower lip, a nervous habit you’ve noticed from the time you’ve spent with him.
“I would really appreciate that,” You inform him with a grateful smile.
His shoulders visibly relax at your answer, a sigh escaping his lips.
“Thank God you said that,” He pretends to wipe the sweat off his forehead, “I don’t think I was ready to handle the rejection.” He tells you and you feel like there’s some underlying truth to that.
“The dude I’m crushing on is offering me a ride, who am I to say no?” You say bravely and he freezes, eyes wide and full of surprise with how you say that without a single stutter.
“D-Dude you’re crushing on me?” He repeats, bringing his hand up to point his index finger at him. “Am I the dude you’re crushing on?” He asks in disbelief.
You give him an ‘Are you joking’ look, pushing at his shoulder. “Who else is offering me a ride home here?” You ask him.
“I’m sure tons of people would. You’re beautiful.” He says easily and you flush, not expecting that response at all.
“Oh,” You look down at your lap with a smile on your lips. Feeling so flustered by his compliment, you change the subject. “Is it wrong to do all this after I just broke someone’s heart?” You ask him.
Jeongguk shakes his head, “No, you did what you had to do, Y/N.” You nod, a slightly guilty expression appearing on your face once again. “Here,” He pulls out what looks like car keys from his back pocket. “Do you want to wait in my car while I finish up here?”
You nod, grabbing the keys from him with a smile, “I’ll wait.” You grab your purse, pulling the strap onto your shoulder. Jeongguk also stands up from his kneeling position, brushing his black pants.
Once you stand up, you have to peer up to look at him. Even with your heels on you, you’re still barely reaching his damn shoulder.
Are you really that short or is he just super tall?
“By the way,” You start, causing him to immediately pause from picking up the plate and giving you his full attention with the way he turns his body to look at you, eyes meeting yours. For some reason that makes your heart flutter. “Can you charge the dinner on my card?” You open your purse to pull out your tiny card holder. “It’s the least I can do for Dohyun.” You add, handing him the card.
Jeongguk looks down at the card in his hand as if it’s the most fascinating thing he’s ever seen, eyes squinting before widening. He holds the card up to the light as if inspecting it before bringing it back down and closer to his face again.
“Um, is everything okay?” You ask in confusion.
“Did you just hand me a black card?” His voice is full of surprise, mouth slightly ajar.
“Yeah…” You trail off, looking down at your feet.
Great, he must think you’re a spoiled brat.
“Do you know the amount of unnecessary and useless shit I would buy if I had one of these?” He holds the card in his fingers as if it’s fine china.
“I mean you can,” You respond and he just looks at you in disbelief.
“Baby you’re too sweet but I never thought about getting sugar mama.” He smirks before adding, “At least not anymore.” Your heart flutters and you try not to squeal at the fact that he casually called you ‘baby’.
This man is trying to kill you.
You pretend to act unbothered by his words with a roll of your eyes, shoving at his shoulder, “Shut up before I make you pay for this dinner.” You threaten and he immediately closes his mouth, turning towards the table. You laugh in response, shaking your head at him.
“I’ll be out in 10 minutes,” He tells you and you nod, a smile on your face as you step towards the door already feeling a lot better just by talking to him.
#jungkook fanfic#bts scenarios#jungkook au#jungkook x reader#bts writing#jungkook#jungkook fluff#my writing#jungkook fic rec#bts fanfiction#jungkook fanfiction#jungkook angst#jungkook scenarios#tattooed jungkook#bts fic recs#bts angst#jungkook imagines#kpop imagines#kpop fanfiction#jungkook series
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do you think percy and annabeths kids would ever have to put up with big expectations from the kids at chb and the gods who have heard of and seen the things that their parents have done? i can totally see chiron unintentionally pressuring them by comparing them to percy and annabeth all the time. and kids at chb staring at them every time a campfire story or song about them did. everyone always talk about the fluff side of it, but I want to hear your opinion on the angst side of it.
thanks for the ask @helpallthenamesaretakenblog!
yes, i think they do in some ways, but i think it goes way deeper than that
the thing is, unlike at camp jupiter, kids of demigods aren’t really a thing at camp half blood. i think that’s something that changes after the camps become friendly, but i still think it takes a long time for greeks to actually send their kids there. the reason being at camp jupiter, demigods (parents) actually live nearby, in new rome, and their kids just have to serve their time, train in a unit, and then they get to go to college and stuff. but at camp half blood, you are sending your child off to train as an individual warrior and potentially be sent on a deadly quest. camp half blood is brutal, even though it may appear as the more juvenile setting of the two camps.
i also think the romans have way more kids, given they are way less likely to die. they get to comfortably settle down in new rome. personally, i think greek demigods having kids is rare. even if they live long enough, they don’t want to bring kids into the world, risking them attracting monsters. which is why i think percy and annabeth wanting children - and wanting them so badly, even at the height of being miserable teenage demigods - is so beautiful and incredible. it’s such a beautiful bright light of hope in all the darkness of the demigod world (which is why it makes me sad when people think they won’t want children 😭). i don’t think most of their friends will have kids, tbh. so percy and annabeth’s kids would probably be amongst only a handful of other legacies.
there’s also the matter of where do they go? are there special cabins for legacies? or do they go to their grandparents’s cabin? and if so, if they have two godly grandparents, how is it decided which one they go to? either way, they are gonna feel like they don’t fit in at first.
even though percy and annabeth are famous demigods, i still think their kids’ presence at camp half blood would result in many campers who are like “why are they here? they’re not even kids of gods.” so i think they would need to really prove themselves. and once they do prove themselves worthy of being trained alongside demigods (cause you know they will) THEN there’s gonna be that expectation of “are they as good as their parents?”
and the thing is, no, they won’t be as powerful as percy. and no, they won’t be as intelligent as annabeth. but the combination of being raised by percy and annabeth + having water powers + being intelligent + being amazing fighters, will make them incredible. they will probably even be better than many demigods. not necessarily in raw power (though even if they’re half as powerful as percy, that’s more powerful than most demigods) but simply by being extremely well rounded.
and yes, there will probably be a lot of instances where people won’t leave them alone because they just want stories of their parents, but tbh, i think their kids only know some stuff. i think there will be more instances of them hearing stories about their parents from other people. like someone going “is it true that your dad slayed a giant with the head of a statue” and their kids being like “uhh idk, did he?” like the campfire stories about them bit you mentioned, i think most of the time everyone would be staring the kids, in awe of their parents, but the kids would also be like “damn that’s crazy. i can’t believe mom and dad did that. i gotta ask them for details.” 😂
and chiron will absolutely be very tough on them. he’s not gonna go easy on them. at all. but it’s not because he expects them to be their parents. it’s because he cares for them, and he knows percy and annabeth raised them to have great strength and perseverance. (and percy and annabeth definitely will tell chiron “do not go easy on them.”they want their kids to know how to fucking survive).
it’s not gonna be easy, but they will be extraordinary. i personally think percy and annabeth would have 3-4 kids, and they are all gonna be witty and smart and extremely talented warriors, but they are also all gonna be different from each other. i like to think they have a lot of their parents in them, but they also are their own people. i think it’s gonna take a minute for them to feel like they belong at camp, especially the oldest, but like their parents, they will find a way and they will be incredible.
anyway, sorry i rambled there. maybe i’ll make a more organized post about this one day. but those are my immediate thoughts
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Metal Roses
Leo Valdez x Daughter of Jupiter! Reader
Description: Leo's been in love with Jason's twin sister for months. It's been too long, and now he's ready to finally tell her.
*****************************************************************************
Leo had saved Calypso. Just as he promised that he would.
But while cruising the skies headed to Camp Half-Blood after months apparently, he could only focus on the thought of you. He was gonna tell you.
He had spent all those months so afraid. Of you rejecting him, forsaken him, abandoning him.
But death has an odd way of putting things in perspective. You're one of his greatest friends and you'd never shun him. Whatever you felt and whatever be felt, the two of you would face it together. It would be alright.
He just needed to tell you. Couldn't run away anymore.
At first, he justified his secret by saying it would be weird for him to ask his best friend's twin out, Jason might disapprove; but turns out that Jason was totally chill apparently his sister's love life wasn't his business and he trusted Leo.
But then during the quest, you had this laser focus, and there was so much going on at every moment that he couldn't find the right time to tell you.
And then he was planning on dying (and resurrecting) so he couldn't tell you then. What kinda guy would he be if he told you and then just left? It was all for the greater good though, he'd take the death path if it saved you and Jason.
But now, now.
He'd outsmarted the prophecy, there were no major imminent deaths looming over them. He rehearsed what he wanted to say a hundred times, and the metal roses he twisted to shape were ready.
Festus feels warm under his hands as the cold evening air rushes past him. He remembers the time you had lifted him up into the air, his cheeks heat up with the memory, unsure with what he found more attractive: the strength and ease with which you lifted him, the close proximity to you, you in your element, or you smiling so so brightly. And that beautiful silly laugh.
You had told him that you planned on sticking around the Greeks after the war so Camp Half-Blood was a good place to start his search for you.
And wow, the Camp has gone through the works.
Apollo is human and unsurprisingly invited trouble. Everyone has mild to moderate symptoms of hay fever, Nico— Nico, his favourite grumpy little emo Italian is dating Will? Wow; Percy paid the Camp a visit, he's like almost a proper college kid now.
He tries to pay attention to whatever Percy and all say to him as the campers take their turns to sucker punch him. Completely overkill but not entirely undeserved. But his eyes keep shifting, scanning the crowd to spot you.
But there aren't any electric Grace-typical eyes in his view.
"Hey– uh, what are the other's up to now?" He asks.
Percy huffs brightly, giving him the rundown on Annabeth's whereabouts. He always looks so in love, Leo realises he looks like that when he talks about you, he hopes you'll look like that for him too. Percy tells him about Frank and Hazel (at Camp Jupiter, they're doing well last I heard from them), and Piper, and her family's struggles at the moment and Jason is at a boarding school (oh yeah, they broke up).
Now that Leo thinks about it, Percy is a little bit of a gossip queen.
That's when he realises that his buddy left out one person–
"And, uh, what about the Lady Grace?" He asks, laughing a little.
Percy's smile dims though, and huh, okay. Weird.
He looks at Leo, suddenly quiet and pained.
"You haven't heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Leo, we uh– we had two casualties out of the eight of us in the battle," Percy's gaze becomes distant and he looks so much older than he is, "you were one but the uh, the sec– (y/n), was the second."
What?
No. No. No. No.
"Is this a joke? No way. She was safe."
But Percy wouldn't lie about this.
"I'm sorry," Percy says, and Leo looks to Chiron and Nico and Will and they– they're telling the truth, "the had her funeral at Camp Jupiter. A warrior and a hero's funeral."
Angry tears fill his eyes and he refuses to let them fall as he nods mutely. He doesn't believe them. Won't. Not until he meets Jason and Jason tells him. Leo needs to know for sure. Because you couldn't've died. No way.
Only
He reaches Jason to learn that Jason's dead.
Two of his favourite people are dead. And he didn't get to say goodbye to either of them.
The roses in his tool belt are squished and bent out of shape. And Leo reaches the horrible conclusion that he never really outsmarted the prophecy. Since he found a way to live, the Fates had to endure the twins died.
He learns about the urn with your ashes that were kept. And he learns about the wishes of the children of Jupiter to have their ashes scattered in the same place– a meadow filled with sunflowers, close to Camp.
Leo dreams of you all those nights. He's not sure if this is a real vision of you or his demented cursed brain at work. You keep smiling and he tries to tell you he loves you but somehow his voice doesn't reach you and every night you fly further away from him.
He burns the roses and the memory of his stupid rehearsed speech.
*****************************************************************************
#percy jackon and the olympians#pjo fic rec#pjo fandom#heroes of olympus#leo valdez x reader#leo valdez#pjo fanfic#hoo fanfic#percy jackson#pjo x reader
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longform here but on rereading the lost hero camp jupiter is so. fucked up.
like don't get me wrong, i love new rome and the idea of it and how utopic it must seem to percy and the other young demigods, but there's a fundamental mismatch between camp half blood and new rome.
camp halfblood's problem is that there are no adults. being a demigod is very, very dangerous. we don't see many members of camp half blood surviving into adulthood or coming back as camp counselors. one of the oldest at the camp is luke, who's only college aged. and so what you get is a society of teenagers - of course there's a pecking order, because it's a society of teenagers. of course the rules are blatantly unfair, because it's teenagers making them and policing them. the only two adults who are in any way intimately familiar with the demigods are chiron and dionysus, neither of whom are mortal and understand the true struggle that's happening here.
and so yeah, you get this situation where it's not safe to be a greek demigod, and you probably won't live to adulthood. but it's not because they're not trying. it's because teenagers just aren't always capable of protecting and raising and safeguarding each other while trying to do the same for themselves.
the problem is that that environment is mirrored in new rome, where the legion is a protective force but also a very, very dangerous one. quests are dangerous. monsters are dangerous. even war games are dangerous - gwen would have died before percy had even slept one night at camp jupiter if not for the doors of death. they explicitly mention that the incident where the fifth cohort lost the eagle was "a massacre."
except that while camp halfblood is this way because they don't know there is another way, camp jupiter is just....not. assuming a fourth of new rome - population around 300, according to hazel - is too old to fight and a fourth is what would reasonably be considered too young, you have a community of around 150 grown, capable adults, who grew up in the legion, who were trained to fight, and who have the perspective of age to see how barbaric it is that there are 200 teenagers being used as their front line.
but the thing is that new rome kind of quietly just....pushes that away. pushes that thought to the side.
see, the thing is that camp jupiter isn't actually within the safe haven bounds of the pomerian line. they have the little tiber, but it's clearly not as powerful as, say, the camp half blood safe havens - it took percy using the river to stop the gorgons. but most of the legion can't use the pomerian line for protection because you have to be unarmed to enter it. they protect the pomerian line, not the other way around.
in any other society, it would only make sense to take the 10 years spent serving in camp jupiter - the 10 years it is explicitly most dangerous to be a demigod - and shelter children during that time. if you come to new rome under 18, you should be housed. you should finish your education without worrying about which of your friends will die in the week between now and exams. you put your years of service into keeping that community alive after it's nourished you through the worst part of your adolescence. And you could probably halve the years of mandatory service if demigods weren't dying at 11 years old so often.
and the thing is, that's actually how camp half blood operates. The point of it IS to provide young demigods a safe place in the absence of adults who can meaningfully help them. It's dangerous to be there only because it's dangerous to be a demigod. Should Greek demigod adults maybe be taking more responsibility here? Yes. But camp half blood's resources aren't prioritized to them. Their purpose is to shelter teens, not adults who have passed the worst of it and can reasonably support themselves. They're not safe because the resources available are not adequate to ensure full safety.
at camp jupiter, instead, the teenagers are removed from daily life and put on the front lines - why? because they're disposable. there are resources there, but they aren't for the teens. they can't be members of the community, because it's too dangerous to rely on them, to count on them, to absorb them fully, until you can be sure they're not gonna get killed. not to mention, you can keep them in the legion because they have nowhere else to go. where camp halfblood said "we can't guarantee your safety unless you stay, and we have things that need to be done," new rome only allows members to muster out of the legion if you've served ten full years. imagine how someone like nico would have been treated if he truly was a child of pluto. he wouldn't just be a runaway, he'd be a deserter - there'd be none of the 'showing up every now and then for a hot meal and vanishing' thing. he'd be gone for good. "you give us your life in exchange for the safety we can provide. if you leave you can't come back."
and that attitude, that the rule of law at camp jupiter reigns supreme and those who fail aren't worthy of staying, permeates into everything involved with the camp. camp half blood has satyrs who explicitly search for and protect demigods until they realize who they are, and it's implied the punishments for failing to do so are relatively severe. at the very least, they don't like sending out satyrs who've failed to try and protect more children. jason, leo, and piper meet annabeth for the first time because the camp knew there were demigods there and came for them to bring them somewhere safe.
but roman demigods as a whole are just built different, right? all of them find the wolf house and get prelim training with lupa and then end up in new rome.
except...it's not all roman demigods. it's just all the demigods new rome knows about, and not even that, because hazel herself hasn't been to the wolf house. her cover story is that nico found her in new orleans and brought her personally to the camp. it's all the roman demigods who didn't die on the way down from the wolf house. it's all the roman demigods who didn't die trying to find it.
and yes, i know it's big stupid to try and apply adult rules to YA novels. of course the real reason for all of this is that it's more fun this way to a younger audience, and for that i have no complaints.
it's just fun to think about.
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Hey I want to know if you can do a head Cannon for Sam Uley saving and imprinting a demigod son of Jupiter
WARNING!!!! this contains a lot of cussing and coarse language. this is becase i wrote this in a sad and angry mood. so anyone under 13 should not read this.
Oh, how you hated your life and how the fates had shaped it. You were born Y/N Y/L/N in California. You knew from a very young age you were the son of Jupiter, the king of the Roman gods, God of Honor, Justice and Lightning and Lord of the Sky. It pained you that while he loved you and spoke to you as you grew up he wasn’t around much. But, you did see your Godly siblings more often and they expressed how much they thought you should grow up with them, yes even Diana.
Your father had a one night stand with your mother just as she started college. Your mother was a child of Athena and passed her smarts on to you. Your mother heavily abused you growing up. You see, Jupiter had been spending most of his spare time as a mortal and was your mother’s best friend. She never knew your father was Zeus’ other half until later. They both got drunk and well, it doesn't take the Goddess of wisdom to figure out what happened.
When your mother told Jupiter about the pregnancy he came clean and well, it wasn’t pretty. He didn’t know Your mother was the demiGod child of Minerva’s Greek counterpart exactly but did suspect she was a demiGod. He just didn’t know which pantheon your mother was descended from.
Minerva and Athena weren’t pleased. Minerva wasn’t pleased because Jupiter had put her in conflict with Athena. And Athena Was pissed that A ROMAN GOD had dared to have sex with a GREEK demigod and more importantly HER daughter.
So, while your mother wanted to have an abortion, she couldn’t as you were the child of the king of the Roman gods and well, she didn’t want to spend her afterlife in the felids of punishment. So, while she wasn’t told to carry you to term she knew that it was in her best interest and carry you she did.
You were a very quiet baby. You hardly ever cried. But, your mother hated You because of who your father was. You had his electric blue eyes and his curly hair and your face was just Jupiter’s but on a younger body. You were a very compassionate child. You were known around the neighborhood as the kid to go to if they needed a shoulder to cry on. Yet another thing your mother hated about you.
The abuse didn’t start till you were seven. It was…hard for your mother to resume her schooling after your birth. Your father made sure your mom had MORE than enough money to live at Camp Jupiter and to spoil you rotten. But as you grew up she was more and more reminded of how your father USED to be her best friend and pretended to be human and it drove her insane. You were Truly your fathers son and She heavily resented how her life had turned out.
On your seventh birthday your mom had enough and snapped. It was after dinner and you accidentally shot lighting. Your mom went ballistic. By the time it was over you were a bloody mess and too tired to pray to your father or godly siblings for help. And it only got worse as the years went one.
It was when you were seventeen Jupiter found out about your mother’s treatment of you. To say he was pissed would be an understatement. He flashed in and stopped yet another beating and you cried tears of joy. But, your father knew a place where you’ll find love and happiness and you’d be the company of other supernatural creatures.
“My child, I’m sorry for not noticing sooner. I’ll take care of your mother and I know a place for you to go to heal my Child.” Your father said with a sadness you were unused to hearing in a God’s voice. Your father went on to tell you about Forks, Washington. And more specifically the Reservation.
So that’s how you found yourself moving into one of the nicer houses on the Quileute reservation with help from Mercury. You smiled as Your older, Godly brother set the last thing in your bedroom as he also helped unpack. “There you go little brother! Take care of yourself, Yeah?” The messenger God said with a fond smile ruffling your hair before leaving. While you didn’t want to keep your brother away from his Godly duties, you were exceptionally lonely. What you didn’t know was soon you’d find your mate and he would catch you up on seventeen years of love.
It was during a walk through the woods when you met a giant black wolf. You smiled as you knew about the shifter packs of the world and were told of a pack of wolf shifters in Forks by your father as he dropped you off. You wanted nothing to do with the supernatural world. You would TRY to stay away from the wolfpack and you sure as Hades were gonna stay away from the vampires. But, the fucking fates would not LEAVE YOU THE FUCK ALONE. You were starting to know how Percey felt.
When your eyes met you knew. You knew that your mate was the black wolf. Were you shocked? Yes. Did it bother you? No. Why would it? You were the son of the King of the Roman Gods and were trained from the moment you were able to stand to kill monsters that the entire world thought were myths for Zeus’ Sake!!
The Love you felt for Sam was instant. You saw yourself with him for the rest of your life. You even saw yourself turning down the opportunity to become a God unless Sam and his pack were offered immortality. You have been around Apollo enough to know that these were possible futures. But, you didn’t care.
The pack strangely Looked at you as more of a little brother than their Alpha’s mate. Which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. They are hugely protective of you and will destroy anyone that even looks like they would harm you. Eventually they understand that while they can protect you, you were raised to fight the supernatural and your scent will draw monsters to you and it’s your job to kill them. They don’t seem happy about it but eventually they get it.
Sam on the other hand wants to storm Olympus and give Jupiter a piece of his mind. And ask your uncle Pluto to allow the pack to have some alone time with your mother. He will literally fight an entire army of Titans alone for you.
The most the two of you will do for the first two years of your relationship is cuddle and kiss. You're seventeen when you met the twenty year old Sam. And sam is nothing but a gentleman unlike some others in the pack ( *cough* Paul- man whore- Lahote *cough*) and would never force you into anything ( *cough* Jacob- someone get this boy a hug and tell him he’s good enough- Black*).
Sam is outright murderous when the elders force you to enroll into Forks High School. He Doesn't want you ANYWHERE the Cullens. “Sam, I’ve fought the Goddamn minotaur. I can handle some vampires who are on a vegetarian diet.” your voice is borderline indignant by the time you're done. It wasn't that you thought that Sam was being ridiculous. You just weren’t used to people caring about your safety. The glare that Sam sent you caused a smirk to pop on your face.
Your first day of school in Forks was…fucking intresting. Sam made you go with more than enough firepower to destroy the Cullens ten times over. You thought he was being insane and anael about it. But, well his alpha voice doesn’t work on just the wolves. He told you about all the Cullens gifts and you nearly passed out when you learned about Edward’s ability to read minds. Jacob was quick to defend his imprint and tell you he had absolutely no control over what he heard. You felt sympathy towards the immortal teenager as it was the same way with your lightning when you were younger. You and Sam gave permission for Jacob to tell Edward about your past and lineage as to not give him a heart attack or the vampire equivalent of one.
As it turned out you had most of your classes with Edward. The bronze haired vampire took to you like a duck to water. He felt you were a kindred spirit and knew most of his struggles. You struggle to let your mate love you. You have self hate issues and your family is…volatile.
The cullens are the only vampires you like. Well, it’s more like begrudging respect for Bella. You eventually tell The Cullens of the only other experience of vampires you had. It was your first quest and you were sent with your two best friends. Your mission was to assess if the vampire conley that had been established near New Rome was dangerous. It was supposed to be a diplomatic mission. Or it was until two newborn vampires had a bad reaction to your friend's demiGod blood. It became a battle. For some reason your grief over seeing your friends die in front of you sent the vampires feral. You still had the scars. You used your powers and killed ALL the vampires with your lighting. That’s why you hated Vampires except the Cullens. Sam knew that’s why he nearly had an aneurysm over the elder forcing you to go to Forks high.
Your life was looking up. You had Sam, the Pack and Cullens to help you heal. Plus, the occasional visit from your Godly family helped too. You were told of Victoria but stayed out of it at Sam’s begging. He knew you were capable but he believed you were in no condition mentaly to be involved in what was quickly becoming a war. You mostly agreed to that line of thinking. You weren’t in the state of mind to fight a GODLY war. But this wasn’t a Godly war. This was a vampire war and you would stay out of it until someone forced your hand.
and , Oh Boy! Force your hand they did. It was after Harry Clearwater died. You hated that Leah was a part of the pack now as she believed that Sam chose you over her. But, it broke your heart when Seth joined. He was the youngest but he still felt like an older brother. Unlike others in the pack, Seth and Leah had the perfect childhood. Loving parents, good food, a roof, a mother who cared and a father who knew what it was to be a shifter but also put his family first. Their childhood was everything yours wasn’t and you were pissed.
You were sitting at the beach. You were angry. Not at Sam, the pack, the Cullens or your Godly family. No, you were pissed at the fates and Victoria. You were pissed at the fates as they forced another child to become a soldier and grow up far sooner than he needed to. You were pissed at Victoria because she was being petty. She was after Bella because her mate was killed for going after Bella before she was a vampire and still with Edward. You thought you were done with petty nonsense when you moved here. That you didn’t have to watch those you deserve better suffer any more. But you were worng and it Pissed you the Hell off. You didn’t hear the footsteps behind you until you felt a presence behind you. You knew who it was and as your eyes darkened storm clouds gathered.
“I thought by Killing the old man would get the mutts to back off. Maybe killing the alpha’s mate will, hm?” Victoria asked with a condescending tone. You stood up as the clouds started to charge with electricity. “You are fucking with the wrong pack you redheaded bitch. You are messing with the son of the king of the Roman Gods. and you have pissed me the fuck off. So, since you think Harry’s death was a warning. I’ll give you one.” Your eyes started shining with white specs of lighting. Lightning struck the ocean behind you. Victoria’s red eyes widened with fear as you made lightning strike right in front of her. After that, she dashed away. You were in the game now, no matter what Sam said.
Sam was not pleased but allowed you to join the battle. You waited in the clearing with your full Roman battle armor on and your sword waiting. As the army of Newborn vampires rushed to you, the wolves and the Cullens you stood in the eye of the storm as you saw a clear path to victoria. You placed a kiss on Sam’s forehead before he and the pack, minus Seth rushed to meet the newborns in the battle.
As you stalked to Victoria you sent lightning to random newborns to help your family. As Victoria saw you aprching true, unadulterated fear shone in her eyes. You smirked as the red haired vampire rushed to you. You took your sword and chopped her right arm off. You smirked at her scream.
“H-how? O-only other V-v-vampires can-” You enjoyed her stuttering and fear but you wanted to end the battle fast and fall asleep in Sam’s arms. “I told you that you were messing with the son of the king of the Roman Gods’ son’s family. But, you pressed the issue and pissed me off and now you get to see what happens when you mess with Y/N Y/l/N son of Jupiter.” and with that you chopped her head off thus ending the four hundred and seventy something year life of the red haired bitch.
Later that night you lay in bed in Sam’s arms. Sam was playing with your curly hair and you loved it. “...thank you Y/N. For helping us end this mess.” Your smile resembled Apollo’s at that moment. “No problem, love. I ,uh, got a note from my dad today. He wants to invite the pack to dinner on olympus.” You said with hesitation. You just wanted to be left alone but Sam had mentioned that he wanted to meet the Godly side of your family. And it was hard to say no to Sam. “Good. Just tell me when my darling boy and we’ll all go. And Y/N? You're not fighting another battle. I’ll fight them for you.” You smiled as the alpha wolf kissed your forehead. When you first came to Forks you didn’t believe you deserve a mate but now, you wondered how you ever thought otherwise. Because you and Sam were perfect.
#x male#male!reader#male reader#male reader insert#x male! reader#x male reader#twilight x male reader#twilight x male! reader
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Flowers and Tears
Summary: Leo makes a hurtful joke that went way too far, deeply hurting Zaria. Zaria, unsure of how to stand up for herself, bottles it up and makes it worse. Thank gods for her caregivers.
Info: Percy and Annabeth are Zaria’s caregivers when she’s regressed, and her romantic partners when she’s not. There’s only about two years between them.
Zaria gently smiled as she picked a mariposa lily. She turned around and placed it in her friend Flora's hair, causing the other girl to giggle.
Zaria and Flora were strolling around Camp Jupiter, gathering flowers to put in their little baskets. Zaria liked using the flowers to decorate the dormitory she shared with her partners, while Flora enjoyed crafting flower crowns from them.
“I need to find more Baby Blue Eyes and Red Trilliums,” Zaria said, “Percy and Annabeth really like those.”
“Ooh, Red Trilliums,” Flora beamed, “Those are pretty! I like the Clarkia amoena that grow around here.”
Zaria smiled and nodded in approval. "Those are beautiful! I wish tulips grew around here, though."
“Tulips are pretty! Especially the pink ones.” Flora replied.
Leo, Flora’s boyfriend, had been trailing the two earlier, but he suddenly caught up to them, and proceeded to lock hands with Floraline.
This made Zaria smile, watching the couple be affectionate. “You two are cute together.” Zaria complimented, smiling sweetly at them.
“I know right.” Leo jested, a playful smile on his face.
Flora rolled her eyes in a loving way at Leo’s reply, then turned to Zaria and smiled. “Thank you.”
Zaria nodded and hummed in acknowledgment, then turned to absorb their surroundings. They were strolling through the forested area of the camp, somewhat distant from the main section. Vines and bushes were abundant, creating a truly beautiful scenery.
A distant deer crossing their path made Zaria gasp and smile. Eager to share the sight, she pointed towards it, only to realize her friends were already conversing with her, a fact she hadn't noticed.
“-and Annabeth when you get the chance? You’ve still got a couple years, but it would still be good to think about what you wanna do.” Was all Zaria heard Flora say.
Zaria frowned, not understanding Flora's words and feeling guilty about it. "I... I didn't hear you. Could you repeat that? Sorry..." She asked sheepishly, feeling embarrassed, as it was the third time that day she had asked Flora to repeat herself.
Floraline didn't seem bothered at all. She simply smiled and repeated her question, "I know they'll be a couple years ahead of you, but do you plan to join Percy and Annabeth in college when you get the chance? You've still got a few years to decide, but it's worth considering."
Zaria smiled excitedly and nodded vigorously, "Mhm! I want to study animal biology."
Flora was about to reply, but was interrupted by Leo, who started snickering.
"A STEM degree, really? You can barely follow a normal conversation. Do you really think you're smart enough to handle biology?" Leo quipped, "Might want to choose something easier, or hold off on college."
Floraline elbowed Leo in the gut, a look of shock on her face. "Leo! What the hell?! I know you were joking, but that's not funny!" she scolded, glaring at him.
Zaria's face fell into a frown. She already harbored self-doubt about her intelligence. She knew Leo was just being himself, not intending harm. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder if there was some truth to his statement. Perhaps he was right.
"Sorry..." Leo mumbled quietly, clutching his stomach. Floraline gave Zaria an apologetic smile.
Zaria offered a faint half-smile and assured Leo that everything was fine, and they continued their walk for a few more minutes. After some thought, Zaria found an excuse to depart. "I think I'm going to head home now. I'm hungry and it's getting late. Bye, guys," she said and left before they could respond. She knew she had to leave; she couldn't risk breaking down if she stayed any longer.
‧˚₊•┈┈┈┈୨୧┈┈┈┈•‧₊˚⊹
Later that afternoon, Zaria was sitting on the bed she shared with her partners, Percy and Annabeth. She couldn't stop thinking about Leo's words. Self-doubt had started to creep in. Was she smart enough for college? Could she handle it?
Zaria didn't realize when her tears started flowing, but she found herself curled up on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. Her mind became fuzzy, a clear sign she was regressing. This often happened when she was extremely upset. She despised it. It only intensified her emotions, making her even more sensitive.
Just a few minutes later, Percy and Annabeth returned from their college classes for the day.
"Gods, I am so thankful it's Friday-" Percy began, but quickly stopped when he saw Zaria crying on the bed.
Annabeth's eyes widened as she quickly sat down next to Zaria, scooping her up in her arms. "Hey, hey, hey," she cooed, "What happened? What's wrong?"
Zaria sobbed and hiccupped, struggling to calm herself enough to speak. But when she tried to talk, she found herself unable to form words, which only added to her frustration. Her feelings escalated into anger, compelling her to want to hit or bite something.
Percy sat down next to them and placed a hand on Zaria’s back soothingly. “Don’t try to force yourself to talk, guppie. You can tell us when you’re ready.” He comforted, addressing Zaria by the nickname he used exclusively when she was little. She wasn’t sure if he could already tell she was regressed or if they were trying to get her to regress in hopes of soothing her. Either way, it made her feel a little better.
It took a few minutes, but eventually Zaria was okay enough to talk. Little tears still dripped down her cheeks, but she wasn’t hiccuping or gasping anymore.
“Um…m-me n Flora were picking flowers earlier…n Leo was there too…” Zaria began and when she glanced up at Percy she could tell he already knew where this was going. “I kept zoning out n asking Flora to repeat what she said n L-Leo,” she sniffled, more tears forming in her eyes as she was beginning to say it out loud.
“What did he say, guppie?” Percy asked, his voice already tense. Percy had his own…thoughts about Leo. Sure, he was a funny, chill dude…when you weren’t around him for too long, and as long as he didn’t feel threatened by you.
“H-He said I wasn’t smart ‘nuff for college n that I shouldn’t go or I should pick something easier…” She replied, her bottom lip wobbling as she tried not to break down again.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I’m sure he was just joking, you know how he is, but that absolutely does not make it okay. Did you say anything?” Annabeth asked her, a frown on her face.
Zaria shook her head. “No…didn’ want him to call me sensitive or anything…but Flora got mad at him for it.”
Annabeth opened her mouth to talk, but Percy spoke first. “I’m gonna kill him.” He said, “That ass—“ He cut himself off when he realized he was about to cuss in front of a very little Zaria. “—meanie had no right to say anything rude to you. Especially not when it comes to intelligence.” He fumed.
This seemed to make Zaria giggle. She had been clinging onto Annabeth, but she turned around to give Percy a hug too. “Don’ do that,” she replied, “‘cause then Flora will be sad. N I don’ want her to be sad.”
Percy wrapped his arms around her and gave her a little kiss on the forehead before letting out a deep breath. Annabeth smiled as she saw the two interact, her heart swelling with love for the both of them.
“Okay, fine. I won’t hurt him. But me and Annabeth are gonna…talk to him later. He’s not gonna get away with just insulting you like that, joke or not.” Percy vowed.
Annabeth nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, that was not okay at all. You’re more than smart enough to go to college. I bet you’ll even be at the top of your class.” Annabeth praised, gently petting Zaria’s hair. “However,” she began, “you need to work on standing up for yourself, little miss.”
“Yeah, you do. You can’t just let people walk all over you like that,” Percy agreed, “Next time anybody at all says anything like that, you have our full permission to cuss them out.”
“No, do not just cuss people out,” Annabeth corrected, shooting Percy a glare. “But do tell them off. Just try to be less aggressive about it than Percy suggested.”
Their banter made Zaria giggle. She rubbed her eyes, letting out a little yawn. She always got very sleepy after crying. She wanted her paci, but she was too tired to talk. She made grabby hands at the small box that was peaking out of the closet, which held all her age regression stuff.
Annabeth instantly knew what she wanted and she got up and grabbed the box. She pulled out her pacifier, a cute little green thing that was decorated with little beads and jewels and had a leaf charm on it. Zaria opened her mouth, and Annabeth popped it in for her.
“C’mon, guppie. Let’s get you a bath and in some pajamas before bedtime.” He said, picking the girl up with ease. Zaria let out a little whine, but didn’t really protest. She wrapped her arms around Percy as he carried her and buried her face in his neck. She nearly passed out on their way to the bathtub.
Annabeth smiled and followed the two closely, simply admiring the two people she loved most. In that moment, she felt lucky. Luckier than anyone else in the entire world.
#age regression#agere#percy jackson#pjo#PJO agere#Percy Jackson agere#my OCs#PJO OCs#angst#hurt/comfort#percabeth
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Things I did/experienced this year
So every year I have this thing where I write down everything I did in the past year just to give myself a more positive outlook on things (and also for memory) and I decided I'll do it on here from now on. The first bit will be so school focused because I spend so much time at school.
Went back to college full-time
Won several scholarships
Was invited as a speaker to several events, including a Psych Department panel where all the other speakers were professors
Got accepted into a program at NASA (!!)
Got to use a big telescope and see Jupiter's and Saturn's moons and a few cool nebulae and binary star systems
Participated in an international student debate on neuroethics
Took several professional development courses (I'm psychological first aid and sui prevention certified, among other things)
Got very involved in campus events, student organizations, and volunteer work. Have 3 leadership positions in them
Actually made significant changes for students after speaking with the chancellor a few times on healthcare access and resources
Didn't back off of an issue and got my records fixed from years ago
Put together and arranged a TDOR event that involved local activists speaking on good community solutions for increasing safety, and managed to read the names list for this year without having a breakdown on stage
One of the projects I do got mentioned in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology this year
Stood up for my friends and a community I was in charge of
Maintained my boundaries
I guess I am conducting independent survey research lol. It's really small but whatever
Made more friends, maintained existing friendships
Opened up to others more
Made a lot of progress in therapy
Came to terms with a good chunk of my trauma
This year is the first year I have not had any recontact attempts or attempts at triggering me
Made a LinkedIn and a website, which is huge for me since like...name and face
Tutored my little brother on math since he has never been to school before or been taught any math (other than when I was raising him and taught him basic arithmetic, before I left) and just started public school this year! He's getting mostly As and Bs and one C (A in math!)
Started reading fiction again for the first time in years, around half of the books I read this year were fiction!
Started being able to read DID memoirs without needing to take several months off every 2 pages
Met my book reading goal for the year
Got a basic wardrobe so now I look like a person
Got more piercings, and got baby's first non-stick n poke tattoo
Got new healthcare professionals for the ones I wasn't satisfied with
Got hearing aids
Started using my mobility aids more instead of ignoring my needs
Started phys therapy specifically to get me to build up walking endurance for when I transfer to a big campus
Did my nails for the first time this year (just dollar store pressons), planning to learn how to do nail sets myself >:3
Hacked my 3DS finally after so many years
Started playing an MMO after many years of avoiding any game with Other People in it, and had fun
Went to a pride event specifically for POC :)
Did a fountain pen ink sample exchange with someone!
Got a fountain pen that I ADORE and it was 70% off
Realized I am actually very cute 😌
Got to try many new foods this year
One of the abusers is facing a huge lawsuit with over 50 different people testifying so maybe in a few years there will be...some kind of relief
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Silmarillion (and LOTR) Characters as things my friends have said: Part 4!
Sauron: “You know what keeps me up at night?”
Beren: “What would that be?"
Sauron: “When you invite people into my home, singing at midnight. Random *baritones RESONATING throughout the house.”
~Earlier, at Tol-in-Gaurhoth~
Luthien: *sings at the bridge*
Beren: *sings in answer*
Luthien: *starts singing louder*
*I don’t think Lúthien was a baritone, but for context, one friend invited a bunch of other friends over to a house at night - said friends saw a huge American flag in one room, and all started singing The Star-Spangled Banner in loud, deep voices at midnight.
Yes. Camp Staff are interesting...
Morgoth: “If I put together half a person and half a fish what would happen?”
Ulmo: “Uhh you’d go to jail.”
*talking about lunch*
Merry: “I feel like the meat was too over-seasoned.”
Treebeard: “I’m not concerned about the food, I’m concerned about the consequences of the Industrial Revolution.”
Fingon: “I just got the nastiest slam dunk ever recorded in soccer!”
Annatar: "Who do I have to seduce around here to get chicken nuggies for dinner?"
Celebrimbor: “Excuse me?”
Annatar: “You gotta do what you gotta do to get chicken nuggies.”
Eomer: “Ponies? Horses?? The ponies are here. I’m going to see the ponies!”
Pippin: "Does anyone want this apple?"
Merry: "Dude. That's a pear."
Pippin: "Oh. Does anyone want this pear?"
Feanor: “This wouldn't have happened if they just gave me a cannon."
Caranthir: “Do you know what they’re talking about? That G & G game?”
Amrod: “No it’s DnD you dipshit;”
Amras: “Dungeons and Dipshits!!”
Mandos: “Boys go to college to get more knowledge, girls go to Jupiter to get shredded by the strong gravitational pull.”
Maglor: “Maybe it started with Maedhros, but now I’m not sure anyone here’s straight.”
*Finrod sits down*
Maglor: “Well that isn’t helping.”
Maedhros (discussing Elwing keeping a silmaril): “If you do that, I feel like I’m legally obligated to stab you.”
Celegorm: “I wanna feel like I got in a physical altercation with a pear and WON.”
Morgoth: “This is what is known as a funny haha moment.”
*in reference to an epic prank involving your friends and an inter-continental ballistic missile*
Fingon: *holds Magic the Gathering cards*
“Is this like an advanced version of Pokémon?”
Turgon: “I’m going to slap you..”
Orodreth: “So you visited my house yesterday?”
Turin: “Yeah.”
Orodreth: “Did you see the LEGOs?”
Turin: “Sir. SIR..”
#silm memes#incorrect silm#incorrect silmarillion quotes#incorrect lotr#silmarillion memes#the silmarillion#lotr#beren#luthien#sauron#morgoth#ulmo#merry#treebeard#fingon#annatar#celebrimbor#silvergifting#eomer#pippin#feanor#feanorians#mandos#maedhros#elwing#celegorm#turgon#turin#orodreth#maglor
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July Reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe
I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Full reviews below the cut.
Salt Magic by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock
Vonceil is the youngest of five siblings, but she's always related most to her oldest brother, Elber; but when he comes back from the trenches of WWI he has changed. He isn't willing to play with Vonceil the way he did before- he immediately proposes to and marries a young woman Vonceil finds deeply boring. She wanted her brother to stay in Europe, where she might eventually join him; she doesn't understand his rush to settle down. Then a woman in white arrives in their small Oklahoma town. She and Elber were lovers in the war, and when she finds him married she puts a curse on his family. Vonceil decides it is her job to break it. This comic is magical, beautiful, whimsical, and emotional in the mold of a Ghibli film. I was knocked over by the level of comics craft. The pacing, the page layouts, the color palettes, the expressive cartooning and character designs! This one became an instant favorite and I am extremely likely to purchase it sometime in the future so I can pour over the pages.
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
A dense, rich, satisfying sci-fi with so many elements I loved! This book opens with Mahit Dzmare, a newly appointed ambassador from the small space station of Lsel, arriving at the heart and home world of the Teixcalaan empire. Mahit has studied the Teixcalaan language, culture, history and poetry for years and she also carries in her head an imago-machine: the digitally recorded memories and personality of the previous ambassador to help guide her in this new, dangerous world. But she goes to her new position unsure if her predecessor is alive or dead, disgraced or thriving, and what uncomfortable legacy he might have left behind. Mahit has been tasked with diplomatically maintaining Lsel's independence but the appetite of the empire is endless, and war threatens eternally on the horizon. This book is the first of a duology, but it also contains a complete story full of political intrigue, mystery, and queer desire. I highly recommend it and I will be diving into the sequel soon!
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Patroclus narrates the story of his childhood, the early exile that brought him to Achilles's father's house, and the developing friendship and companionship of these two unusual boys. Patroclus is awkward, unskilled in fighting, and uneasy in most company. Achilles is the son of a goddess and a mortal man, faster, stronger, more beautiful, and more confident than anyone else Patroclus has ever known. But they see something in each other that no one else sees. They are given the gift of an extended adolescence under the tutorage Chiron the centaur before they are both called, by oath and prophesy, to the Trojan War. There were pieces of this story I was familiar with from reading other Greek myths but much of it was new to me. I love Miller's writing; I had already fallen in love with her characterizations of the gods and of Odysseus in Circe. Of the two, Circe remains my favorite, but this one was an absolute pleasure to read as well. I speed through the second half of the book in just two days and I think it lives up to the hype!
Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, Val Wise and Oscar O Jupiter
Annie is a smart, anti-social lesbian entering her senior year of high school with no extra curriculars on her college applications. An old friend, Beatriz, recently transitioned and joined the high school cheerleader team; Annie is convinced to give it a try, despite her reluctance. Annie and Beatriz rekindle their friendship and navigate the complexities of supporting each other, showing up for the team, and being true to themselves. At only 120 pages, this story is quite slight, but it packs a very sweet tight story into its low page count. I also really enjoyed the clear, uncluttered line art and loving character designs.
Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos
Please note, I read an advanced reader copy of this book, which didn't have the full color finished artwork. I think seeing the finished book would definitely have given it more impact. This is a nearly wordless story about Marisol, born in Cuba, who is sent by her parents to live in Brooklyn with foster parents after the revolution. New York seems gray and lifeless after the colorful island Marisol left behind. She is teased at school, but slowly begins to reignite her love of books and plants, which bring some joy back into her life. The arc of this story reminded me of a simpler version of The Secret Garden.
The back of the book includes historical information about the real exodus of Cuban children to the US via a program called Peter Pan, which placed kids with Catholic foster families. I kind of wish this essay had been at the front of the book instead, because the wordless text left me wondering who Marisol's foster parents were, how she ended up with them, and what their motivation was. I found these questions somewhat distracting from Marisol's journey. I did enjoy seeing Marisol begin to settle into her new home and thrive there, but kind of wish the story did have words so I'd have know more about what was going on!
Welcome to St Hell by Lewis Hancox
I really enjoyed this memoir of growing up trans and closeted in the small English town of St Helens in the early 2000s. The author inserts his adult self in as a character who banters with his teen self, and occasionally interviews his parents on their memories or reactions to his coming out story. I found this a very effective way of weaving together the insight Hancox has now with the actions his younger self took based on much more limited information about gender identity, sexuality, and transitioning. It's also quite funny! Hancox and his friends were rambunctious, crashing around a town too small to hold them. For the American reader, expect a certain amount of unfamiliar British slang, but most can be picked out from context. This comic is rated 14+ on the back and includes scenes of obsession with weight and exercise, an eating disorder, some underage drinking, and some mild nudity. All of it felt important and integral to the story, and I appreciated Hancox's candor and the ultimately gentle and humorous tone with which he land out these adolescent troubles. If you liked Gender Queer or Kisses for Jet you will probably like this one as well!
The Wizerd! And the Potion of Dreams by Rachel Dukes and Michael Sweater
I've been looking forward to this whimsical fantasy comic for ages, and it did not disappoint! A wizerd's peaceful existence is disrupted by the arrival of a tiny, feisty warrior princess. She wants to be a hulk, and isn't willing to wait and see if she'll just grow up into one. She badgers the wizerd into going on a quest with her to get the ingredients to a Wishing Potion. The wizerd agrees, only because they think they can get everything they need from a nearby all-stop loot shop in town. On the way they pick up an errant archer, even though, as the wizerd warns, once you pick up an archer you're only one step away from dungeon-crawling with a full crew of misfits... naturally nothing goes as smoothly as they expect! The art in this book is so fun, full of silly and delightful details, perfectly matched by the humorous and genre-aware dialogue. I really hope the creative team behind this one get to continue the series.
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Stormbringers
Prompt: I was in a rock band in college, and thunderstorms used to rage at every show. Going by ancient Roman rules, something up there really hated our music.
“Make it rain! Make it rain!”
The crowd’s chanting echoed through the park as Mike’s band finished up their last minute preparations. All through the week-long Spring break, they had been booked solid every single night. Tonight was the final night of their break, and from the sound of the crowd, they had a full house. Not that it was too surprising. Ever since their debut they had been growing more and more popular.
Too bad it wasn’t because people liked their music.
“Okay guys, we’ll start with ‘Cutting Edge’ and then segue into ‘Den of Iniquity.’ Sound good?” Mike asked as he hitched his guitar strap around his chest.
The other members nodded and Mike led the way out onto the stage. Immediately the crowd went wild, and he could see umbrellas and rain ponchos flooding the area with color. Above them, the night sky was perfectly cloudless and studded with stars. Just like the weatherman had forecasted. Mike couldn’t help himself from saying a quick prayer that their gimmick wouldn’t fail them now. Though the prayer in and of itself was ironic, to say the least.
“Are you ready to rock?!” Mike yelled into the microphone and the crowd roared in response. With a quick look back to his bandmates to make sure they were ready for the show, he put his pick to guitar strings and started up the opening chords to ‘Cutting Edge.’
As he played, Mike couldn’t help but glance up at the sky, checking to see how their music was faring with their ‘other’ audience. It only took half a song for the storm clouds to roll in and the rain to begin falling. The moment it did, the crowd began chanting again, calling for the band to crank it up a notch. By the time they finished the first song and moved into ‘Den of Iniquity’, the thunder and lightning had begun to crash around the park. It wasn’t a soft Spring shower either. This thunder drowned out the drums, rolling through the clouds with enough noise to make an avalanche feel quiet.
The crowd ate it up, jumping around in the rain and getting soaking wet in the process. This continued for the entirety of their hour and a half show. By the time they finished up their final song of the night, ‘Gold Teeth,’ everyone besides the band was covered in rain and mud and had screamed themselves hoarse. It was an experience rather than a show… or at least that was what the University website had written after reviewing one of their concerts. Actually being able to experience the wrath of gods at a live show was something college kids couldn’t handle missing out on.
“It’s crazy that your old man is still this pissed about you joining a band,” Brad, the drummer, said later as they packed up their gear.
Mike rolled his eyes to the once again clear sky. “Dude, Jupiter wouldn’t be happy no matter what I do. The guy just likes to throw temper tantrums to show off.”
At his words, a rumble of thunder pealed through the night air. A warning to be a little more respectful.
All the band members chuckled and Brad slung an arm around Mike’s shoulders. “I guess Stormbringers will live to play another day. We haven’t actually been struck by lightning yet.”
“Nah,” Mike said as he loaded his guitar into the back of their van. “I’m sure he’s saving that for the day we get a record deal.”
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Nikola Stojanovic’s degree theory
— you can learn more about his theory here and here. he was the maker of this theory, i’m simply passing the knowledge i’ve researched on him in a more simplified way!!! trigger warning for mentions of death and violence for the 11º, the 15º, the 18º and the 22º degrees
according to nikola’s research, each degree is connected to the sign it rules:
aries degrees — 1º, 13º, 25º - taking action, fighting spirit, not giving oneself up to fate, struggle, war, can indicate abuse, labor, diligence, leadership, beginnings, etc
taurus degrees — 2º, 14º, 26º - money, food, the earth, stability, luxuries, voice, singing, etc
gemini degrees — 3º, 15º, 27º - communication, gadgets like televisions or phones, self-expression, books, siblings, neighbourhood, etc
cancer degrees — 4º, 16º, 28º - home, nurture, traditions, loyalty, faith, mother, water, etc
leo degrees — 5º, 17º, 29º - attention, life, fame, light, children, creativity, self-expression, monarchs, entertainment, strength, hair, etc
virgo degrees — 6º, 18º - to diminish, to make smaller, improvement, health, work, routine, pets, to be of service, etc
libra degrees — 7º, 19º - fairness, law, business, partnerships, fashion, beauty, charm, luxury items, music, art, etc
scorpio degrees — 8º, 20º - the 8º specifically is connected to death, wealth, to take from others, manifestation, secrets, insurance, sex, jealousy, pregnancy, etc
sagittarius degrees — 9º, 21º - abundance, expansion, wisdom, college, travelling, to explore, etc
capricorn degrees — 10º, 22º - to take control, public attention, coldness, fear, depression, rationality, ambition, father, etc
aquarius degrees — 11º, 23º - divorce, surprises, high places, high tech, new technology, humanitarianism, organizations, friends, networking, etc
pisces degrees — 12º, 24º - sleeping, drugs, alcohol, lethargy, the unconcious + our psyche, emotional dejections, feet, madness, shadows, unclear, endings, etc
0º represents the basic characteristic of the sign - it acts in its purest form. for example, if you have the 0º in aries sun, aries here acts in its most potent, pure way.
that way, if you, for example, have your ascendant in pisces at the 13º, you’ll express aries characteristics + all that is connected to taking action, to fight. now, knowing this, this theory can manifest itself in different ways.
i’m going to give an example that he talked about in his website that i found simple to understand yet powerful. when nikola was discussing with another astrologer, he wanted to talk about his degree theory, so he took a look at the birth chart of the wife of the other astrologer, and after a minute of analyzing it, he said as follows: “Your wife called a carpenter to the house and ordered a larger bed to be made. When the carpenter had finished the job, you went to bed and realized that the work was not properly done. One measure was right – the bed was long enough - but the other one wasn't – the bed wasn't wide enough, it was still narrow”. the look the other astrologer gave him told him that his brief analysis was absolutely correct.
his reasoning behind it was that the wife’s 12th house (which rules sleeping, beds, bedrooms) cusp began at the 21º of aries, and the ruler of that house, mars, was at the 6º in virgo. aries simbolizes to create and the 21º, a sagittarius degree, simbolizes to enlarge. so, his wife wanted to create (aries) a larger (sagittarius/jupiter) bed (the 12th house). because mars, the ruler of the 12th house, was placed in virgo (someone who renders services, a worker), she called the carpenter to the house. her mars was, however, in virgo at the 6º which is a virgo degree (virgo simbolizes diminishing, making smaller), which meant the measure of the bed had to be smaller than needed. therefore, the cusp of the 12th house (the bed) at the 21º (sagittarius - larger, longer) signifies that the bed was both long enough (enlarged), and mars in virgo at a virgo degree (6º) meant that it was not wide enough (it was narrow). nikola established connections between degrees, the signs, the planets and the houses where they fell and the aspects that they made in order to make this kind of predictions.
he also found a few degrees to be connected to significant things.
THE 2º DEGREE - SUPREME POWER
nikola, through the research of the birth charts of many people throughout history, observed how those who contained planets, houses and aspects (+lunar nodes, arabic parts, vertex and of course, the four cardinal points: the IC, MC, AC and DC) in the 2º degree were those who made remarkable achievements, who wielded extreme power and were highly respected. he got to this conclusion by analyzing the birth chart of queen victoria - other rulers at the time had more powerful aspects than she did, but allas, they weren’t the ones to almost rule the entire world - it was her, so he began noticing the pattern between power and the 2º. literal jesus himself had his mercury in pisces in the 2º. i myself have four degrees at 2º, so it’s nice to know my dreams of starting a revolution, overthrowing the government and achieving world domination are supported by the astros
THE 5º DEGREE - EROTICISM
this degree is connected to beauty, desire, sex appeal, receiving sexual attention. many sex icons like marilyn monroe, jean harlow and mata hari had it present in their birth chart. nikola talks about this being the best degree in his eyes. considering that it’s a leo degree, it’s all about living, having fun and enjoying life.
THE 11º DEGREE - DIVORCE / SUICIDE
both the 11º and 23º degrees of aquarius indicate divorce, but, according to nikola, the 11º is connected to suicide.
THE 15º DEGREE - CAR ACCIDENTS
this degree, when connected to scorpio + the 8th house, can indicate car accidents.
THE 18º DEGREE - PURE EVIL
simbolizes a bad destiny. to nikola, this is the worst degree you can have. it can indicate rare deseases, tragic accidents. he says there’s no good about this degree but i absolutely disagree. not to be a hopeless optimist or to pretend to possess half the knowledge that he does but i think it’s pretentious to assume that a degree is literally all bad and that there’s nothing we can do about it — that takes away from our free will and our inner strength. Many, many people have this degree present in their charts (i believe nikola had it himself), it’s all about facing hardships but, well, that’s life.
THE 22º DEGREE - TO KILL OR BE KILLED
nikola has found this degree in the birth charts of murderers + people that were murdered. his significance of “to kill or be killed” is quite literal. now, i want to remind you that this is the worst case scenario and that this degree can manifest itself in many diferent ways - just like the 18º and the 8º. the death can be figurative. for example, donald trump’s chart: he has his sun in 22º, and his mercury in 8º - and I’m afraid he’s quite alive at his old age and kicking it, even if he’s suffered a public destruction. @saintzjenx in her degree theory post talked about how this placement can also indicate abandonment. i agree, i have my sun at 22º in the 10th house (the house of the father) and my father was very emotionally absent + physically as well (his work has him working at other cities during the entire week)
THE 29º DEGREE - CLAIRVOYANCE/PROGNOSTICISM
the 29º indicates someone with clairvoyant potential, someone who makes accurate predictions, with great intuition. it’s to note that nikola himself had a 29º in his chart, and that he became known for the predictions he made using the degree theory (for example, he predicted that america would have its first black president ten years before barack obama was elected). but he does like to say that he has absolutely no intuition, though - what prompted him to study the degrees was his virgo rising, acording to him, his need to study and put his brain to work. still, he observed how many clairvoyants had this degree. other astrologers talk about this being a degree that means destruction (and when you analyze trump’s birth chart and how he has his ascendant and his 11th house at the 29º, you can very much argue about the truth behind that theory) but all in all, nikola talks about this degree as benefic.
in case you’re feeling bad, remember i have the to kill or be killed 22º, plus the 8º of death, plus the 11º of suicide, plus the 23º of divorce, plus two of the 18º of pure evil! let’s suffer together besties. on the upside i have four of the 2º so we riding to eternal glory!
but now seriously, i know some of this is very hard bc obviously life isn’t all fun and games but. remember that we all have free will, life isn’t determined and having a lot of these in your chart doesn’t mean impending doom!! i have them and i’m very much kicking it and i’m not intending to stop. it’s all about acceptance, learning how to work with even the worst degrees in order to make the best out of them. plus, the degrees can manifest themselves in a lot of different ways and a lot more matters than just them being present - like the signs that they’re in, the aspects with which they make and how harsh they are, the house where they fall etc etc.
please do take your time to read through his website + to watch the interviews nikola did on youtube!! he was an amazing astrologer whose theory greatly impacted the way astrology is studied today. he’s fun to learn from, too, which is a plus
#astrology#degree theory#capricorn#aries#scorpio#leo#sagittarius#gemini#aquarius#libra#virgo#taurus#cancer#pisces
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Titan War, Evidence for a Major Defeat
I'm putting this here for my own reference.
First, most obvious - the centurions
Centurion title usually refers to a commander of 80 legionaries (plus 20 staff who make the total into 100). In the books, they only lead a group of 40. That's bascially half-strength.
Nominally the commander of a century (Latin: centuria), a military unit of around 80 legionaries. In a Roman legion, centuries were grouped into cohorts commanded by their senior-most centurion. [Wikipedia "Centurion"]
Second, far less obvious, the principia is in the wrong spot
So the principia is always - always - in the middle of the camp. It's the command tent. It seens to be both centrally located and the most defensible position. But, it's solidly canon both in the text and in the official art that the prinicpia isn't in the middle.
Even more reason why it should be as well defended as possible is that the treasure room is in that building.
'That has been in the principia treasure room for centuries, Frank said. 'No one can wield it. It's too heavy to draw. Believe me, I would have if I could have. Since it was originally a gift from you to the legion, it seemed only right that we give it back. With your godly strength returning, we figured you could put it to good use.' [Tyrant's Tomb]
Here we see that they even have gifts from the gods in that room. It's vital that the principia is well protected.
So why would it be off centre? Unless it once was in the centre, but then the camp changed around it. After all, the building is made of stone while exterior walls are made of wood.
Third, the ten year service requirement
Hazel said. “When you’re accepted into the legion, you do ten years of service. After that, you can muster out whenever you want." [Son of Neptune]
Now, we don't know the average age for demigods to arrive at Camp Jupiter. But it is said that 16 (Percy's age) is very late. We know that Octavian, who's a good baseline considering his family's history, joined around the ages 10-12.
So let's assume the average age is 11. That means they don't finish, on average, until the age of 21. Of course, people like Frank who join at 15 don't finish until they are 25!
All that means is that the senior officers of the legion should all be highly experienced 7+ years. And therefore 18+.
But this isn't the case.
Octavian spread his arms, revealing his harp tattoo, the symbol of his godly forefather. Seven slash marks indicated his years of service - more than any presiding officer, including Reyna. [Blood of Olympus]
So, Octavian is the longest serving commander at this point. This obviously doesn't include Jason (who's younger than Octavian anyway) and Gwen (who's old enough to enter college, so probably a similar age to Octavian, maybe a little older).
So the question is what happened to his seniors?
Lacking strength
Hazel pursed her lips. “We have defences. The borders are magical. But our strength isn’t what it used to be. Lately, the monster attacks have been increasing. What you said about the gorgons not dying… we’ve noticed that too, with other monsters.” [Son of Neptune]
The Greek Weapons Issue
“What is that?” Hazel asked. “I’ve never seen a sword like that.”
“I have,” Reyna said darkly. “It’s very old – a Greek design. We used to have a few in the armoury before…” She stopped herself. “The metal is called Celestial bronze. It’s deadly to monsters, like Imperial gold, but even rarer.”
It's important to remember that the Varus expedition is not a secret. It's talked about a lot. Percy is literally told the story on his first night. It's a story of hubris and a warning to newbies.
[Frank speaking] “Just got here last months. But everyone’s heard the story. It’s bad luck to even talk about this. There was this huge expedition to Alaska back in the eighties…” [Son of Neptune]
So this begs the question, why is Reyna so hesitant to speak? Why does her expression go dark? And she even says she has seen a sword like that. And that they used to have some in the armoury. Sure, this could be referring to her time on Circe's Island. But she mentions the armoury specifically, then trails off.
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the bones (2,847 words) (1/1)
(an introspective on jason grace. kind of?)
read here on ao3 or read below the cut!
jason falls in love with the human equivalent of a forest fire
(his mother fell in love with the sky itself)
jason grace grew up being told that his destiny was very, very simple.
his first and most important mission, handed down to him from lady juno and mother lupa, was that jason was destined to save rome. that his destiny lay with new rome and camp jupiter, a new romulus to lead the pack to greatness. he would spill so much blood in new rome’s name that the little tiber would overflow and the gods would crown him with a golden laurel made from monster ichor.
he would be everything everyone else needed.
a spear for the senate, a shield for new rome, a standard to replace the one that had been lost, a sword for the gods to wield, and another pack member for lupa. he would be the perfect soldier, a demigod fashioned by two god-mothers for the simple act of being a weapon.
his second duty was that jason was to be nothing like his father.
his father, evil, unpredictable, selfish and cruel, was to be jason’s antithesis. lady juno stressed this, as did the senate, as did his praetors (though praetor saville jason eventually killed in battle, so jason doesn’t take her words to heart anymore). jason was never, ever to be like his father. all sons of jupiter before him were either driven insane or were killed, and jason’s great destiny could not afford for him to do either of those things.
‘hubris’ lady juno once told him, while going through his latin lessons in the damp cold of the den (or wolf house, as she called it), ‘is the thing that kills sons of jupiter’.
so jason was to never be prideful, but at the same time, never to believe he was inferior. he was to be subservient but never meek, he was to be a capable fighter but never violent. he was to be kind but not a pushover. open but not flirtatious.
he was to be perfect. he could not afford anything else.
then he, in the span of a few months, murdered his prateor after finding out she was a traitor, watched his friend be assaulted by a family legacy of prophetic visions which turned him into a paranoid asshole, watched his other friend assume a leadership role, one which he tried to refuse, and fought an army, killed a titan and toppled kronos’ black throne.
he also became praetor and then was promptly kidnapped by lady juno, leaving said other friend with all the responsibility.
then any and all plans the gods had for him were ruined by a daughter of aphrodite with eyes like the earth and a son of hephaestus with a smile like war.
how could jason be the perfect soldier when his loyalties no longer lay with new rome? he loved his home, he loved his siblings-in-arms, he loved the legion-
he loved leo and piper more than the breath in his lungs, than the sky and earth and more than his destiny. he loved them enough to try and find whatever scraps of himself he had. to create something they could love too.
(heracles killed himself after accidentally killing his family. love killed him in the end)
and so, jason failed in his first mission. he could no longer put new rome above them, above camp half-blood.
jason doesn’t think becoming his father is an option for him, however. his father is prideful and arrogant and his father's likeness, he will eventually learn, belongs only to his prodigal sister.
and so, jason grace finds his last name, a family he never knew, friends he could die for and an empty cabin that seemed less lonely with leo or piper in it.
then they went on a quest, leo built a ship and they all set sail to stop gaia from rising.
then jason lost leo, then jason lost everything, then jason lost himself and then lost piper-
and, in the middle of winter, leo valdez came crashing down on a metal dragon with eyes like a nuclear explosion and teeth made for tearing meat from bone, or tearing jason’s heart from his chest.
and then jason found himself again in the space between the junction between leo valdez's fourth and fifth ribs.
leo valdez is a lot of things. he’s a son of hephaestus and a complete asshole. he’s the first child of hephaestus to be born with the ability to create and control fire in over 400 years. he’s a 5’4ft guy who wears platformed boots to make himself seem taller. he’s so powerful that he obliterated gaia. he’s a genius. he thinks spraying axe bodyspray on himself is the same as a shower. he overworks himself even when he doesn’t have to. he can fight gods and go toe-to-toe with any big three kid and hold his own. he likes to survive on a diet of mango monster energy and takis. he's obnoxious. he's thoughtful. he makes mean-spirited jokes at other people's expense. he's the best person jason's ever met
he’s-
currently late for their date.
It’s not that jason minds, per se, but leo has a nasty habit of getting so completely lost in his work that he can plan a date for the next day, and jason won’t see him for at least three days. it’s one of the downsides of being the trophy boyfriend of a genius.
jason sighs and rocks back on his heels, eyes darting up to the grey, overcast sky. he can almost hear leo in his head, asking if he could pretty please make it less goddamn cold? and his pout when jason refuses to change the weather for him.
it's not that jason won't. it's just that he can't. it makes aeolus snappy.
sometimes he still does it. manipulates the air currents just enough to warm the air around them and leo smiles, a real one, small and soft. like it wasn't meant to be seen. a secret thing, just for jason.
jason doesn't see leo smile like that often.
it's mid-february in new york and jason is kicking around central park in the grey mid-day light. it's quiet, this part of the park, with barely anyone passing jason as he leans against a tree, wet dew dripping into his unstyled hair. it's cold, but not cold enough for a freeze or snow. just the right amount of cold to turn your hands numb and purple from cold
which. if you've never seen leo 'was raised in texas and has fire powers' valdez in new york snow, jason fully believes you've never lived.
he spends another 30 minutes splitting his time from staring into space and wandering around the meeting spot they've arranged. it's peaceful here. jason can even hear some birds twittering and chirping in the trees above. the cold even stops bothering him. jason likes being alone sometimes.
it reminds him of the lupercal and lupa. long days and nights in the loneliness of the redwood forest. just him and the wolves and the stars.
though now jason has sturdy boots and a wool jacket, so not exactly the same.
he's in the middle of trying to coax a timid sparrow onto the hand, crouched on the balls of his feet when he feels a presence beside him. he goes stiff when he realises and then, like all the tension has been zapped out of him, goes relaxed again.
"that," leo whispers, also crouched beside jason, "is one fat fucking bird"
jason represses a grin, "don't say that. he's probably barely eaten all winter," and leo snorts, moving closer to jason so their shoulders brush. the bird regards leo with some caution but his black, beady eyes seem to acknowledge that jason would keep him safe.
"he looks better fed than me, jace. do you care more about this bird than your own poor boyfriend?" leo says, faux-sadness in his voice, "how cruel, jason grace. how cruel".
jason turns in time to see leo shake his head, black curls wild around his face as they shudder like leaves in the wind. his eyes are dark brown, watching the bird watch leo. a staring contest.
leo says his name like no one else does. like it's a name. like it's good. like it's something familiar and warm. he does not say 'jason' and imagine a great hero or a wolf-boy with no past. he does not say 'grace' like a joke, like grasp for power, like it carries too much weight for his tongue to bare.
he says it like it belongs to jason. he says it like it's important. not too fast, but not too slow.
leo turns his head to find jason staring at him.
"jason" he calls, lips quirking up at the edge, pulling out the 'o' like toffee, "i know i'm pretty irresistible but please, keep your longing stares for the bedroom"
jason shoves up against leo's shoulder, blush bursting across his already red-cold face.
he pushes just slightly too hard and leo goes spilling across the wet grass, yelping in surprise.
"jason!" he yells, looking up at jason half shocked and half in amusement. "what the fuck, dude!"
jason can't help himself.
leo is wearing jason's hoodie, the black one mrs.blofis picked out for jason which leo claimed as his own even before they started dating. his new denim, fur-lined jacket (from the hide of the nemean lion they killed last year) is just slightly too big and he's wearing black jeans. he looks like the college freshman he is. he looks mortal.
he looks human. he has leaves in his hair and his cheeks are flushed from the cold, teeth showing through the toothy smile he's giving and-
it's uncanny, sometimes, how well they can pass for normal. you almost can't tell leo's died and come back to life. you almost can't tell he's more powerful than any living mortal.
almost.
jason falls on top of leo in the wet grass, which causes leo to yelp, again, and knee jason in the stomach.
jason groans "dude, what the hades was that for?" and he rolls of leo, onto the wet grass beside him, arms protectively covering his bruised stomach.
"you fell directly on top of me, you big lug," and leo sits up, picking a leaf out of his curls absentmindedly, "if you haven't noticed, you're like a bean-pole with muscle mass. that shit hurts!"
jason pouts up at leo, who manages to look both unimpressed and fond. he rolls his eyes and offers his hand to jason, who accepts and leo hauls him into a sitting position in front of him
"hi, leo" jason says finally, "you're late"
"i'm not late, loser, you're just a nerd and get places earlier than normal people. its super weird," leo tells him, matter-of-factly, scooting closer to him as they sit on the ground. "you should really get it checked. might be terminal nerdiness. the glasses are just the first sign"
jason raises an eyebrow, curviving over said glasses. "i didn't know it could be terminal. oh well, guess i'll just wither away and die from being punctual. what an injust life i lead. how the sorrows never end"
leo pouts, eyes sparking with enough warmth to keep out the cold for decades to come, "don't be so down about it, I hear being a nerd has perks,"
jason moves closer, so his knees are half-pulled up to his chest and he's balancing his weight on his hand. leo fits perfectly in the bracket of his arms.
"oh? do tell?" he asks, and leo is close enough that jason can see the faint freckles on his cheeks. they're fading from how far away leo has been from the sun, but jason loves them anyways.
"yup," leo says, popping the p and smiling like the cat who got the cream. "do you know that all nerds get super hot and funny and sexy boyfriends? as compensation for being such nerds, of course"
jason pulls back his head a bit, just as leo laces his arms around his shoulders, "really?" and his voice is soft, but the smile won't disappear from his lips, "wow, didn't know that. guess I'm lucky that you're such a huge nerd or-"
leo kisses him like coming home. and in a way it is.
jason has known many homes. he's known the small apartment with his mother that smelt like spilt wine and smoke and mold. he's known the lupercal and the redwood forests around it. he's known the barracks at camp jupiter and the feeling of purpose in his chest. he's known cabin 1 and cabin 9 and bunker 9 and on the back of festus and on the argo. he's known the feeling of reyna laughing as he tells her wild stories and of the fifth cohort raising him on their shields. he's known lying in leo's private room with piper and leo, listening to low music and feeling safe with just them.
but the one person who jason has felt like home since they met was leo. his high ground through the tsunami. his parachute during a plane crash. the one point of home. like the north-star.
jason smiles into the kiss, his free hand tangling itself in the rough fabric of leo's dark blue denim jacket. it's soft and chaste, more a press of warm lips than anything. it's comforting. it's familiar. it's everything he wants.
leo pulls back a bit, just far enough to speak but still close enough that his breath brushes up against jason's cold face. "hi," he says, brushing his nose against his, "missed you, bro".
jason snorts, "i missed you too, leo, how's MIT treating you?"
"like i'm it's bitch is how it's treating me," leo tells him, slumping slightly into jason, forehead against jason's. "can we not talk about college? i think if we talk about college I might start crying and then our date will be ruined"
jason pulls back a bit to look at leo. he does look more tired than usual, eye-bags darker and lips bitten from nervousness. he frowns, using his free hand to cup his face. "are you okay? we can just go back to your dorm if you're too tired-"
"ugh, no way" leo groans, "fuck that. i just wanna spend time with you, okay? i wanna be mushy and all that gay shit. i want bad food and to kiss you again and again and do more than kissing-"
jason rolls his eyes.
"-and then go back to mrs.blofis apartment and watch really bad movies you like for some reason and then i'll go to sleep beside you and it'll be gay and shit"
"gay and shit?"
"gay and shit, you better believe it grace. but first-"
and leo untangles himself from jason and stands up, brushing the dirt from his knees leaving jason frowning on the floor.
he offers out his hand, brown skin calloused from work, long, thin fingers curled slightly as the palm faced upwards.
"c'mon, super, treat your louis lane to some greasy new york food before he decides batman has better pay"
jason is so, so lucky he got leo valdez. that the fates decides to make sure that his destiny crosses leo's. that he convinced leo valdez to let down his walls, to stay, that jason wouldn't leave him like the others, or hurt him or betray him.
that jason was in it for as long as leo wanted him to be. that jason only wanted leo to say his name, wanted to give it to leo because leo's the only one who's mouth jason trusts with it. that jason wanted to give leo his past. wanted to show him and tell him where he got each scar.
he trusts leo with this. he trusts leo's hands to not burn it all to ash. because he knows that if leo wanted to, he could. he could burn jason alive with a thought. turn him to ash and glass with a flick of his hand.
jason has fallen in love with a nuclear bomb, with a supernova of a boy and jason doesn't care if it kills him, because he has spent so long pretending to be what everyone else needed, that now he was going to be who he wanted to be. even if it got him killed. even if it burned him alive.
jason grace has fallen in love with the human version of a forest fire. he should be afraid of it, of leo. he is not. he never will be.
beryl grace fell in love with the sky itself. wanted all the stars in heaven and didn't care what happened to her. as long as she knew she had the stars attention. as long as she knew the sky loved her back.
as long as he knew the fire loved him back.
he takes his hand.
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Swords and Arrows
or That Summer When The Ares and Athena Cabins Finally Allied For Capture The Flag part 1 of 3
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(A Steo Demigod AU) || For @anonymous's prompt: "Scott as a Roman demigod instead of Greek" || word count: 2,647 || The Entire Demigod Series -> [AO3][Tumblr] (it's finally a working link tfg)
Stiles pulls back, "I was going to ask if you missed me," he says, face flushed and beaming. "But it appears I don't need to."
"You never need to."
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I.
"Why the long face, little brother?" Tara asks cheerfully, wedging herself on the bench between Theo and one of their half-siblings, and placing down her tray brimming with colorful food as opposed to Theo's bleak and half-empty one. She grins at Theo, but he's not in the mood to return the goodwill.
Theo pokes half-heartedly at the contents of his tray: a lonely sealed bag with a couple squares of ambrosia inside - the food of the gods - some cheese and two slices of wheat bread. "Don't call me little brother," he mutters with little heat, leaning to the table to whisper a request to his goblet, which immediately fills up with sparkling water.
Tara looks over Theo's head at Fred, their Head Counselor, sitting on Theo's other side. "He's not back yet?"
Fred shakes his head, wiping the bbq sauce at the side of his mouth. "Nope," he replies, popping the 'p' and catching on to the question without much elaboration. By now, there's only one 'he' that reduces Theo to a brooding and sulky man-child. "He hasn't answered Theo's last IM, too."
"Try the last five Iris Messages," Theo grumbles in annoyance. He turns to Tara, face contorted in a sour expression. "I mean, how difficult is it to take my call? He always has drachmas in his pocket exactly for this reason."
"He's probably busy disintegrating monsters," Fred says reasonably. Which, of course, makes sense. Monsters make the most infuriating and persistent roadblock of all. They make any journey twice as long for demigods - if they don't manage to kill you, that is. "Or, you know," Fred adds, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "maybe he's being an accomodating companion to the Son of Jupiter."
Theo grinds his teeth hard and fixes his head counselor with a death glare. Fred only shrugs at Theo's reaction, obviously aiming for the exact response, and chuckling through a bite of ambrosia. Theo has half a mind to punch him in the jugular. He doesn't need a reminder of who Stiles is with, thanks. Spitefully, he harshly impales a piece of grape from Fred's tray with the tines of his fork and shoves it to his mouth in the most menacing manner he can project.
It only makes Fred guffaw, spraying bits of food onto the table. The campers across from him slide their trays away protectively, shrieking an indignant chorus of "Fred!" as they make sure no stray bits made it into their platters. Fred raps at his chest as he reaches for his goblet, still laughing his dumb ass off while trying to wave his hand in apology.
Their neighbors also share their opinion on the appalling table manners of the Ares brood - spitting out food may slightly be a common scene from their lot, unfortunately.
Brett from the Apollo cabin throws corn kernels at Fred, a strange display of solidarity if you can believe it, while Ara, the half-Korean junior counselor of Athena cabin, gives the Ares and Apollo tables a look of disapproval. She's a pretty terrifying 15 years old, which is why Stiles is extremely fond of her. With Stiles gone to New Rome the first week back to camp, Ara is doing a kickass job taking over the head counselor duty. (But, to Hades with it, Theo would much prefer Stiles to be scowling at their table.)
"Okay, first of all," Tara says over the little chaos. "Fred, you're disgusting. Second," she holds Theo's chin to compel him to look at her, then smirks, "Stealing a piece of fruit is not a cabin 5-worthy intimidation tactic."
Theo opens his mouth for his scathing retort, but at the same time, one of Stiles's younger siblings points in the direction of the cabins. "Hey, it's Stiles!"
Many heads look up, but Theo springs to his feet instantly, scanning the area for Stiles. He catches sight of him almost immediately, bounding to the Mess Hall in his orange shirt, face bright under the camp's enchanted borders, as radiant as the last time Theo saw him four long months ago. Without much thought, Theo finds himself carried by his feet towards Stiles.
Stiles sees him coming too, and his smile broaden. Theo sprints, forgetting himself and where they are. They meet halfway, by the entrance of the Mess Hall, with Theo knocking into Stiles's open arms strong enough that it's a surprise they're still upright on the ground.
Theo squeezes him to make sure his mind did not conjure a Spectre to appease his longing. Stiles feels solid under his hands, if a little sweaty, and he smells as if he was run over by monsters. But underneath the grime, he catches the scent of Stiles's favorite body wash. He feels himself sagging in satisfaction.
Stiles pulls back, "I was going to ask if you missed me," he says, face flushed and beaming. "But it appears I don't need to."
"You never need to."
Theo doesn't know how long they stood just smiling at each other, but they break apart at Chiron's pointed clearing of the throat. It's not even in Theo's head to be embarrassed by his actions despite the cackling and many leering faces of the other demigods. Mr. D merely raises an unimpressed eyebrow, though the twinkle in his eyes can only be from amusement.
Chiron is sitting on his wheelchair today, hiding his horse's ass behind the illusion of human legs - why he still does it is a wonder - and rolls forward to them.
"Stiles Stilinski," he greets merrily, the lines of his eyes crinkling when he smiles. "Welcome back." Chiron gazes a little behind them, then, nodding kindly towards another boy Theo only notices, is standing patiently at a distance.
The boy, Scott McCall, son of Jupiter and a praetor of the Roman demigods' army, the Twelfth Legion Fulminata, steps forward to bow his head in respect of the centaur. "Chiron," he also acknowledges Mr. D who didn't bother to get up from the head table. "Lord Bacchus."
"Hm," Mr. D hums without correcting the demigod, sipping on his diet coke dismissively.
Theo doesn't hate Scott, but he also doesn't like him - strongly, irrationally, dislikes him. Instinctively, he shuffles closer to Stiles as if his boyfriend is going to dissolve into the Mist if he isn't close enough to pull him back.
Theo's been agitated since Stiles told him, a week prior, that he was flying to New Rome in California where Camp Jupiter is, the Roman camp, for a 'friendly' visit. Everyone's allowed to cross borders, but no one has really done so just to tour around. After all, the camps are on opposing sides of the country and monsters don't pause to consider not killing vacationing demigods.
A couple of times before last week, when Theo visited Stiles in his Manhattan apartment, he'd, out of the blue, mentioned the varied courses and scholarships that New Rome University offered, as Theo laid his head on Stiles's lap while the latter read. Theo hadn't minded it at the time, as Stiles quickly dropped the subject. But another month passed and Stiles mentioned it again, randomly, during one of their IMs, adding that he might check into the enrollment requisites. Theo started to worry, then.
If Stiles goes to New Rome for college, Theo can't follow him. He never even got to finish eighth grade. And Scott, he's one of the Romans, their leader, and grudging as he is to admit, one of Stiles's friends now the more he visits Camp Half-Blood. He will eagerly encourage Stiles, telling him of the countless perks that Camp Jupiter has. He will be as big a hero there as he is in Camp Half-Blood, and he can rise to praetorship alongside Scott if the Legion so wishes it.
Scott is not a bad person per se, but he wears the color and insignia of the place Theo might lose Stiles to. And if Theo blinks the wrong way, he might not see quick enough that Stiles is being whisked away to the other side of the coast, leading a life without him.
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After officially welcoming the son of Jupiter to the camp, feeding him, and getting him settled in Cabin One, the campers go about their daily routine of training.
The blade vibrates when it hits the shooting log, right on the marked spot. Then it disappears into thin air and reappears in Theo's hand only to be thrown back to the same spot. He does it repeatedly, unrelentingly, until Tara aims with his bow and hits his blade with an arrow to send both weapons clanging to the ground, a few meters away.
Theo heaves; he doesn't even know he's breathless just from throwing until then. Wiping beads of sweat from his forehead, he nods appreciatively at the bow in Tara's hands when his sister stands beside him with a smile. "If we aren't siblings, I'd mistake you for a daughter of Apollo."
"Please," she laughs, opening her palm, gesturing at the fallen weapons. Both her arrow and Theo's blade fly to her hands in a matter of seconds. "I don't want to light up like a glow stick while waxing poetry during a fight." Children of Apollo don't actually do those in the middle of a fight, but they do glow when they're healing, and they can make others speak in rhymes just for fun. Tara offers the knife back to his brother. "Also, we're children of Ares. By birthright alone, we should know to wield any weapon of war."
Theo takes the knife and snorts, "And yet, I suck at archery."
"I can't summon weapons out of thin air," She points out, grinning at him as she puts the arrow back to its sheaf. "I guess we just can't have it all or Zeus would be zapping us one by one."
Theo scoffs, leaning into position to begin throwing again.
"Speaking of Zeus," Tara says, a playful tone in her words. "Where's your favorite son of the Sky God?"
Theo spares her a glare before flinging his knife and burying it onto the battered practice log. He purses his lips before answering, "He's at the Big House with Chiron, Mr. D, Stiles, and the other head counselors." He clenches his fingers around the blade's hilt when it returns to his hands. "They're talking about a little orientation on New Rome University's scholarships and handing brochures and study guide for the DSTOMP." Theo doesn't bother hiding the acid in his voice from his sister. She'll recognize it anyway, even if he masks it with neutrality. He can't mask it with neutrality.
She quirks a brow, "You don't sound too eager," she notes. "Are you still jealous of Scott, little brother?"
"I'm not jealous of Scott," he says, gritting his teeth. "And don't call me little brother."
"Why are you so strung up, then, if you're not baselessly jealous?"
He finds his reply being interrupted for the second time that day, this time by a distant rumbling coming from the sky. All activities on the ground cease as everyone turns to the increasing volume of an invisible running engine. Theo scans the space above them, at first not grasping anything in motion, until a burst of light reveals a flying, glowing red bus coming down fast to the ground.
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Someone goes to alert Chiron as the rest of them scamper to the landing site by the amphitheater. The bus landed surprisingly smooth, despite its breakneck descent.
"Is that a Ferrari bus?" One of the campers points out.
Sure enough, the logo at the front of the vehicle, a black prancing horse on a yellow background, is of the famous luxury sports brand. But why would there be a flying Ferrari bus at Camp Half-Blood?
"Oh gods," Lori gasps somewhere on Theo's left. "Is that dad's sun chariot?"
As if on cue, the bus door opens, and a teenager who looks about Theo's age exits, wearing what he can only describe as a hipster look. He flashes a blinding grin - and quite literally at that, since they have to shield their eyes momentarily from the glimmer of his teeth - clears his throat dramatically, and announces:
"Hello demigods
The sun landed on your grounds
I am so awesome."
There's silence at first, then a series of enthusiastic applause from Brett and the rest of cabin seven comes next. The teenager bows theatrically, although Theo finds nothing extraordinary about what he just said. But soon, the others join in with half-hearted claps, recognizing the powerful aura suddenly seeping into their skins that could only mean there's a god among them - well, another god, aside from Dionysus, their Camp Director. And with the terrible haiku, there will be no mistaking who graced their camp today. The last time Theo had seen him, during the almost war on his first year at camp, the god had worn the body of a muscular mid-20's blond man. Now, it seems he favors to look even younger despite his four thousand years.
"Lord Apollo," Chiron's voice drowns out the applaud as he trots forward, now in his form as a white stallion from the waist down. "It's a pleasant surprise. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."
Mr. D isn't as warm. He snorts, rolling his eyes. "Oh, bother, what brought you here now?"
Apollo's bright persona doesn't falter as he gestures at the bus - that is apparently his sun chariot. Theo remembers the time when he almost drove Apollo's chariot, if the Hermes cabin did not snitch it from under their noses, and thus putting three cabins grounded after a severe prank war. He had to take Liam's dish duties and pay him just so his present for Stiles could be delivered in time for Christmas.
"I'm here at the request of my little sister." The god says proudly, as the door opens again, this time with grumbling teenage and prepubescent girls coming out from the bus. All dressed in the same outfit: silver jackets, silver camo pants, and black combat boots, and they carry at their backs a quiver of sharp silver arrows. They glance at Apollo with apparent distrust, standing as far away from him as possible, as the god continues, "To deliver her hunters safely while she's away on a personal errand."
Several demigods groan in displeasure at the news, and even Chiron's lips form a thin line, though he tries to smile through the tension. Mr. D seems to be delighted now, though, happier to see the strange, vicious-looking ladies than his own brother. Personally, it feels like an omen of danger. Mr. D is never happy unless something perilous is about to descend upon his campers - even if his own daughter, Malia, is among them.
"Thank you, Lord Apollo." One of the hunters says albeit she looks physically pained by her words. She stands at the front of the group, a silver ring headwear around her head, with bouncing black curls, a pointed nose, and a strong chin. The other hunters also look at her when she speaks. It's easy to recognize her as the group's leader. "And thank you, Lord Dionysus, Chiron, for accomodating the hunters of Lady Artemis."
Chiron nods at the girl, eyes softening with kindness born out of familiarity, "You're always welcome, Allison."
Mr. D laughs boisterously, then. Like his punishment has just been lifted and he can go back to Olympus and away from the brats, celebrating by getting drunk on wine after years of prohibition. "Well, at least, Capture the Flag this Friday seems more enticing now, don't you think so, Chiron?" He gives a wicked grin at his campers, not waiting for a reply, his change in demeanor promising a torturous next few days for the demigods. "Ready to lose the Camp Half-Blood banner to these little girls for the 58th time in a row?"
~•~
#steo#steo fic#demigod au#teen wolf#stiles stilinski#theo raeken#stiles x theo#so idk what the heck happened#but i wrote 1k words more than my target word count#ahdbdjdjskxb idk#also for the demigod anon here's a response to one of your prompts!!#it took a hot minute but i hope you see this#scott mccall#brett talbot#tara raeken#allison argent#fics tag#demigodseries
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Writing Prompt: Nico Visiting Elysium
SPOILERS FOR THE BURNING MAZE AND THE TOWER OF NERO
The walk to Elysium was one that Nico was familiar with. Some days his feet would bring him there subconsciously, hoping to one day find his sister among the souls that resided there.
That day hadn’t come yet. But the heroes that were there were familiar with his presence, they weren’t bothered by the shadows beneath his feet, the tendrils that clung to his wrists, and winded themselves around his sword handle, ready to shoot out at his command. They didn’t blink an eye at the bags under his eyes, no matter how much sleep he got. When you’re a spirit constantly surrounded by death, you forget what life looks like. The same went for Nico.
It had been a while since he’d been to the Underworld to see his father and step mother, but the way the rubble crunched beneath his feet was almost comforting. He knew where the dips in the hill were, where to avoid the holes and minor chasms.
The environment and atmosphere of the Underworld began to shift the closer he got to Elysium.
Nico’s eyes adjusted to the brightness of Elysium, and the glittering blue lake where The Isles of the Blest resided. He shouldn’t have been able to enter through the gates, but being a child of the Underworld had its perks. The gates opened at Nico’s touch and Nico was greeted with the beautiful view of Elysium. For a home made for the dead, the place exuded a significant amount of life and light, yet it lacked the warmth real life did. It was beautiful in the way jewels were beautiful, sparkly and well-cared for, but not the way flowers were, in their life and their aliveness.
The trek to the pavilion where he usually met with spirits was hard, it didn’t get easier to see the spirits of heroes Nico had watched or felt die in battles he had also fought in. Every time he saw the familiar gleam of Hunter-silver he had to hold back a flinch. The flowers of Elysium were of gold and silver and Nico had come to the realisation that they were the only plants that didn’t wilt in his presence, it left him feeling an odd sense of pride as he picked one from the ground and placed it in his pocket for later. There was no breeze down here, yet the grass rippled in colours of the rainbow as spirits passed through, wanting to see why the child of Hades was present. Small voices called out to him beyond the gates, wanting to feed on his light, and his life but he pulled up a barrier in his mind, imagining a fortress to protect himself.
He stood in the middle of the pavilion and held out his hand. He wouldn’t need food to summon who he needed to speak to, he knew that they’d come.
“Jason Grace.”
His voice came out stronger than he thought it would. But he still wasn’t mentally prepared enough for the shape of Jason to appear so easily. He knew that Jason had died in his school uniform, but someone had taken the liberty to put him in a purple Camp Jupiter shirt, despite this, the colour was pale, as if all the colour had been bleached out.
Nico caught himself against a pillar as Jason’s form materialised by Nico’s feet. Jason was kneeling as if he was praying, head bowed and arms out trying to hold himself up.
“Jason?” Nico repeated.
The silvery outline of Jason seemed to grow brighter, before he rose to his full height. Nico tried not to stare, but it was difficult not to notice the gaping holes in his chest that glowed with silver through the purple shirt.
“Nico?”
When he was little, Nico had been taught by his mother and by Bianca that eye contact was important, it was rude if you didn’t meet people’s eyes when you were speaking to them. But over the years he had also learnt that in order to meet people’s eyes constantly, he needed to be prepared for other people to look into his eyes, allow them to see that vulnerability that he knew he showed.
Nico forced himself not to avert his eyes as Jason looked at him astounded, his wire framed glasses still sat atop his nose but Nico could no longer see his reflection in them. Everything about him looked the same, his voice too.
“Hi Jason,” Nico breathed, blinking hard. It was getting significantly harder to remain standing as Jason watched him. It had only been a couple of months since- but Nico hadn’t been able to bring himself to come down and search for him. It was a pain that reminded him all too much of the time when he'd just found out he was a demigod and his world had turned upside down.
“You’re angry with me,” Jason said, a small smile growing on his mouth. Nico let out a choked laugh and shook his head.
“I’m learning that grudges do me no good, especially against...especially against the dead,” Nico admitted. He waited for Jason’s form to blur into a corporeal version, but he remained in a hazy silvery state, like Nico was in the middle of an Iris message with him and Nico guessed perhaps they were; except instead of being miles apart and trying to communicate, it was the absence of Jason’s life and the existence of Nico’s that enabled them to talk despite Jason’s body being buried at Camp Jupiter.
“I always thought I wasn’t scared of death…when you’re a demigod of a prophecy you learn to be, and then Leo died, and I knew. I knew that whatever happened I had nothing to be scared of because he’d be here for me…”
“And then he wasn’t,” Nico filled in. Jason nodded, looking beyond the pavilion at the Isles of the Blest.
“I knew that he wouldn’t be here...yet, I don’t know, maybe it’s selfish to wish that I wasn’t alone-”
“It’s not,” Nico said firmly, standing up straighter to meet Jason’s gaze. With a sharp intake of breath he realised that he had slightly grown since he’d last seen Jason, and now he’d be immortalised at this height.
Jason seemed to notice at the same time, losing his train of thought as he looked down at Nico.
“You’ve grown taller,” he said fondly. Jason reached out almost as if he went to pet Nico’s head, but his hand passed through Nico, leaving him with a brain freeze. Jason noticeably winced and muttered an apology. The pain in Nico’s stomach was second to the odd feeling of familiarity. It had been many years since Nico had had an older sibling, and only recently had he become one again, yet Jason, in their small time period of knowing each other had grown closer than Nico would have thought. It was a nice thought, to think he had someone else watching over him, even if it was beyond the life he was currently living. Nico found himself thinking about Bianca again, the way he always did when he felt lost.
“I saw your plans for the temples,” Nico managed. He gripped the hilt of his sword, using it to ground him as his emotions began to unfurl, curling around him like a dark cloud.
“Apollo kept his promise?”
“He was adamant in doing so.”
Jason smiled, and it made him look younger, bringing a light to his face that should’ve been hard to achieve in the Underworld but he made it look easy.
“Will you try for the Isles?” Nico asked, and though he tried not to, fear laced his words as he watched Jason look at the island in question, a wistful look upon his features.
“Maybe…” Fear, as hot as lightning struck Nico in the chest, and he thought he was about to say goodbye to another demigod he had looked up to.
“But not yet. There are heroes here. Heroes that I fought with during the titan war, one’s I didn’t know the name of, same with the giant war. I think it’s time that I learned them.”
"Jason?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you still scared?" Absentmindedly Nico placed his hand in his pocket where he kept a small token of luck, the familiar groove in the old mythomagic toy bringing him a bittersweet comfort.
Jason tilted his head to the side for a moment, thinking before he shook his head.
"Not anymore, no."
As he spoke, his light began to flicker, becoming more of a mirage than anything. Nico poured his power into him, praying to his father for more time. He had so much more to say, messages to pass on, and- he just wanted more time.
“Piper she-”
“Is she happy?” Jason asked, interrupting. Nico thought of Piper with her girlfriend, and the life she was building outside of Camp Half Blood and nodded slowly.
“And Leo?” He continued. This time Nico thought about Leo’s easy laugh and his constant energy, bouncing off the walls, and his smiles around Calypso.
“Yeah he’s happy but-”
“And Reyna? Percy and Annabeth? Frank? Hazel? Are they all happy? Right at this moment?” The question almost took Nico by surprise but he wasn’t lying when he said his answer.
“Yes.” Images of the other demigods, speaking via Iris message, and on visits to each other's camps flashed in Nico’s head. Reyna and her pledge to the Hunters echoed in his head, an almost mirror to Bianca and Thalias. The pictures Annabeth and Percy had sent to Chiron when they had arrived at college, pinned on the board in The Big House. Then of his little sister with her purple cape, matching Franks.
“They’re happy,” he repeated, more sure of himself when he said it. Jason seemed to relax.
“And Thalia?” he asked softly.
“She’ll be okay,” he replied honestly.
“I never wanted to leave her.”
“She knows.”
“What about you, Nico? Are you happy?”
The question jarred Nico and he hesitated to answer, thinking hard about it. He thought about the haze he had been in right after Jason’s death. The nightmares that had resurfaced, the voices that called to him from beneath the ground.
“I want to be.” It was the closest to the truth he could get. Will’s face flashed behind Nico’s closed eyelids, and unconsciously Nico smiled and nodded with more certainty.
Jason smiled again.
“Then I’ll be okay.”
#nico di angelo#jason grace#thalia grace#percy jackson#annabeth chase#frank zhang#leo valdez#piper mclean#reyna avila ramirez arellano#lester papadopoulos#apollo#son of jupiter#rick riordan#one shot#burning maze spoilers#tower of nero spoilers#writing prompt#angst#fanfic#drabbles#trials of apollo#heroes of olympus#percy jackson and the olympians#hades#underworld#bianca di angelo#elysium#hazel levesque#will solace#solangelo
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